Missing Those Kids

I have been traveling a bit the last few weeks and haven't really thought of posting during that time.  Taking in some Georgia Tech football and a Presbytery meeting along with getting the honor of re-enlisting my little brother a few weeks ago.  That was a special moment that I will never forget.  Each time I get asked to serve as the re-enlisting officer is an honor and privilege, but to do that for a family member is truly amazing. 

But none of these excursions are the reason for this post.  The trips were all scheduled with the impression that my official orders would be here by now, but budget issues still keep them held on a computer in Millington away from me.  I had hoped the movers would have been here this week, but everything stays on hold while politicians get to take a vacation and tell me they are fighting for me.  Oh well.  Having to at least plan on the possibility that things would have been rolling by now, I had to quit volunteering at a special place right before I headed on three weeks of traveling around and hence the impetus for this post. 

For the entire time I was in seminary I volunteered at the UNC Children's Hospital working in the playroom (with the exception of my time there as a pediatric chaplain intern for dual hat issues).  I have to admit I probably learned more about theology and being a pastor in those two hours each Monday morning than during the rest of my time in class each week.  I never thought I would enjoy the experience as much as I did.  I started there to see if I could handle working with suffering children and their parents.  I figured if I could handle those situations and seeing seriously ill children I could probably handle anything.  And I did see some horrific physical and emotional situations, but after about a month it was less about me and those situations that just being with those kids.  I have vivid memories of those kids, their families, my fellow volunteers, the therapists and nurses that I will never forget.  It is my hope and prayer that I keep the lessons from all these people with me throughout my life and ministry and use them to guide my theology when I'm not with them each week. 

I had the opportunity to look suffering and despair in the eye on a level that many people will never see.  We tend to let people suffer in hospitals isolated and alone, especially those who don't have normal support systems in place.  I learned just how important it is to just be there.  Those kids didn't care who I was or what I looked like or what I did for a living.  They just wanted someone there who wasn't going to talk about the illness or injury unless they wanted to.  Maybe they needed someone to yell at or take out their frustrations with through Wii boxing.  I learned to see beyond the illness and see the person, which was a lot easier than I expected. 

They taught me how to suffer with dignity.  They made me translate all the theological language I heard throughout the week into the vernacular.  They shaped me as a pastor and person without knowing that is what they were doing.  I learned how to be present in horrible circumstances.  I learned how to listen.  I learned how to share.  I saw true wisdom first hand.  I learned how to laugh.  I learned how to play.  I learned how to love.  I learned how to smile from deep inside.  I learned I dominate in air hockey (two losses in three years).  I learned resiliency.  I learned how to suffer.  I learned how to cry.  I learned to open my eyes and see the world around me.  I learned what the world looks like from 2ft instead of 6ft.  I learned how to use a Wii.  I learned that nurses are amazing people that don't get enough recognition.  I learned more than I can articulate and will continue to glean lessons from people much younger and wiser than I'll ever be.  Perhaps most importantly, I learned who I was. 

Man, I miss those kids. 

Commissioning (For a 4th Time)

Last Wednesday, September 1st, I was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Navy with a designator of 4100 which means that I am now officially a Chaplain.  All that I am awaiting are some official orders and then things can really start to roll and get me to my first duty station.  I have a verbal confirmation of my next duty station, but will wait until after I see something on paper before I start getting ready to leave and start the next chapter.  So until I report to the duty station, I guess that I am on unpaid leave or something like that.  I plan to do a bit of traveling late this month and early next month (LA, Seattle, three GT football games in the ATL and a conference here in Durham) so I have enough to keep me busy besides getting the house ready for an attempt at selling it. 

It is really weird to be a LT again, but I guess not as weird as it was being an ENS again.  It will be nice going back in as a LT as people expect chaplains at that level to have a bit of experience and thus get afforded a bit more respect, though there will be a smaller margin for the typical mistakes when settling into a new job.  The other odd thing is that I may have been commissioned more than any other person I know.  First was as a line officer in 1996, then as a 1125 O-4 in the IRR in 2007, then as a Chaplain Candidate ENS in 2007 and now as a Chaplain.  Hence the reason for the pictures below not being in whites because I didn't feel that the commissioning needed a big ceremony with it being the 4th time.  Plus, staying true to my roots all 4 times the commissioning officer has been a submarine officer, hence the name of the blog.

Apostolic Succession

This past Sunday I was ordained as a Minister of Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (USA).  It was a wonderful service in which many different people who have been a big part of my theological training and ordination process were able to participate.  What a great honor and privilege to have the service at the congregation that I interned with my first year of seminary, St. Giles Presbyterian in Raleigh, NC.  They are such a wonderful congregation that gently taught me how to live into this calling and they really drew out my gifts in ministry.  I also stood in awe of the number of people who traveled great distances to be there, some I hadn't seen in over 5 years.  Looking back it is pretty humbling as the journey started 6 years ago when I discerned a call to ordained ministry and began in earnest about 4 1/2 years ago when I came under care of FPC Honolulu as an inquirer.  After many interviews, cross country trips and exams I now am ordained and awaiting official orders to begin the next chapter of my life as a Navy Chaplain.  Next step is the formal commissioning that will occur next week.

The photos below are from the ordination prayer and laying on of hands and a shot of me after the service greeting members of the congregation. 

Unsung Heroes

I was directed to a post today on Blackfive about a song project that involves a group we seldom hear about or even recognize the importance of their work.  It is a song called Angel Flight that honors the men and women who fly fallen servicemembers back to the States from combat zones.  I first heard about it a few months back and was taken aback by how I really didn't know about them and had taken their mission for granted.  I have posted the final video and a behind the scenes segment here as well.





You can purchase the song on iTunes with the proceeds going to support families of the fallen. Seeing this post reminded me that not only do we tend to place the whole idea of combat outside of our daily thoughts, but that there are many groups of unsung heroes across all walks of our lives. And I hope to highlight some of those in future posts. But a number military specific unsung groups came to mind first.

In the process of ordination with an ordaining body on the other side of the country I have personally ridden on flights with fallen Marines and Soldiers as they made their way back home for the final time. And typically forgotten in that trek is the individual(s) that accompanied them along for that journey. Luckily, for a time, they were brought into our national vision through the movie Taking Chance which I highly recommend.

A second group that I was reminded of was that of the Chaplains and Casualty Assistance Officers that are called on to make the initial notification of the death or serious injury of a service member. These individuals take the full force of grief that a family experiences and even must endure anger directed at them as representatives of the government. There was a great book written about one CACO officer in the West titled Final Salute that I also highly recommend for a look into a fairly thankless and time consuming duty that is in addition to one's regular full time job.

I am sure there are many other groups that deserve similar recognition and welcome suggestions for further posts and exploration not just within the military community. But seeing how a majority of my life has been associated with the military, I naturally am drawn to those type of stories.

Worth a Thousand Words

Official Navy Photo: Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Andrew Dunlap

This picture conveys much more than I could ever describe to my fellow classmates over the last three years of seminary.  I went to a school with a strong current of pacifism running through a large majority of the student body.  That's fine and it really broadened my theological perspective and had made me a better thinker on many lines.  But for the life of me, I could never really get my point across that a nation as prosperous as ours and with the immense resources that we possess in material and drive needs a strong military.  It was difficult to demonstrate how the military does a great deal more than just send people into harms way.  The US Military is also one of if not the largest humanitarian aid organization on this planet.  Many pacifists I encounter fail to acknowledge that simple fact and don't even want to discuss the non-military benefits of a strong military. 

As a submarine officer, I never had the opportunity to participate in a humanitarian relief mission, but I know of several that occurred during my initial time of service Indonesia after the tsunami and Katrina to name a few.  But even in bringing those up it was hard to establish with certain classmates the amazing ability of the military to turn on a dime and switch from military missions to humanitarian ones.  I am keeping this photo on my computer to help illustrate the point in as clear a vision as I can.  This official Navy photo was taken onboard USS Peleliu as two of 19 helos lifted off for Pakistan to help with the relief efforts following the destruction of catastrophic flooding in that country (reports are saying 15+% of the country is under significant levels of water.) 

When you think about what this photo is saying, it is truly amazing.  We are diverting valuable resources from a military asset in an area in which the US Military is engaged in two separate countries simultaneously to help another nation.  A nation with which we are effectively fighting against as they are offering aid to our enemies in Afghanistan.  Pakistan is doing a good job playing both sides of the issue and yet we still send our resources to help the citizens of that nation.  Resources that could possibly save American lives in theater are being sent to help civilians of a nation that we don't really know is friend or foe.  Only a nation with a strong military can accomplish that type of operation.  What is truly amazing is that some in this country have derided us for taking too long to divert these resources. 

A strong military is the only way we can rapidly get humanitarian aid where it needs to go, regardless of our other commitments, in a rapid manner.  This is especially true in remote areas as seen in the Pakistan floods.  The military presence across the globe allows us to do just this.  And our servicemen and women gladly do this mission in addition to the other requirements they must still meet as this is additional mission requirements.  A peacekeeping force can't react this quick (I haven't heard much about a UN response to the catastrophe.)  The US military is the only agency that has been able to respond in a fast manner to help those in need.  I just hope that in the future I remember this photo and bring it out to tell the story of why we need a strong military in order to help those in need in every part of the world, even the most remote and desperate areas.

This photo is one of the many reasons I am proud to serve and am looking forward to getting back out there soon. 

Sermon 8/8/10: Our Hall of Fame Induction

I got invited to preach today at a congregation where I was an intern my first year of seminary and where I will also get ordained in two weeks.  It was great seeing that congregation again, getting back is not something I do very often as they routinely have interns there and I don't want to distract an attention away from the current interns during the year.  This was something all the previous interns have done as well and it is great having the freedom to learn who you are without the shadow of previous interns (of whom the congregation all love) around you all the time.  The text was Hebrews 11 and I didn't realize until after I had worked through the idea and completed a draft of the sermon that yesterday was the NFL Hall of Fame Induction.  Funny how scripture can intertwine with life in interesting ways.

    Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.  Well that about sums it up.  I guess I’ll just stop right here now that we all have a firm grasp on the tough subject of faith.  Is faith really that simple?  I couldn’t find any other example of a biblical writer attempting to explicitly define faith with the phrase faith is…  What makes the writer of this passage so bold as to attempt such an explicit definition of faith?  Does he know something that we don’t?  It could just be my own weakness but it doesn’t seem quite as simple as hoping for things I can’t see.  Luckily, the passage doesn’t just end with the first verse.  The writer of Hebrews knew a little about the human condition and it seems that Hebrews 11 is an attempt to define faith through example.  Not the writer’s own example but through those who came before.           

So let’s take a closer look at who are lifted up as the exemplars of faith that we should follow.  We only heard a partial list in today’s Scripture reading so I’ll read the entire list so we can visualize what some call the international faith hall of fame.  Pay close attention to the list and see if any names jump out at you.  Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, the Israelites that passed through the Red Sea, the soldiers around Jericho, Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, all the prophets, women and martyrs.  Were there any names that you didn’t recognize or know from your Bible stories?  Any names you perhaps thought unworthy to be in this faith hall of fame? 

            I understand why we hear the name Abel.  The younger brother who offered a beautiful sacrifice that was pleasing to God.  He provided the choice lamb of his flock and God noticed and beamed with pride at this beautiful child of God, a reaction that prompted his older brother Cain to murder him.  Abel, the first to lose a life because of his faith.  Noah’s inclusion is a given.  If you’ve seen the recent adaptation of his life, Evan Almighty, you probably have few doubts about his worthiness.  Despite year upon year of everyone mocking him for building an unusually large boat in the middle of a dry spell, he kept going and somehow convinced his family to come aboard and lock themselves in with all those filthy and smelly animals for a really long time.  Noah, included for following God against the insults of the world.

            Abraham makes perfect sense.  Here was a simple guy with a family just minding his own business when all of the sudden he hears a voice tell him to leave his country, his kin and his father’s house for a land yet to be determined.  He leaves his previous life behind based on a voice that promised to make him a great nation and a blessing for all the earth.  Abraham is listed because he turned around for God.  Moses is a no brainer for inclusion.  He was destined for greatness from birth.  God had an eye on this one.  He gets set adrift in a river to hide him from death and is found by pharaoh’s daughter and raised as royalty.  Then, in a stunning turn of events, Moses remembers his birth heritage and stands up to his adoptive family and brings down plagues to convince pharaoh to “let my people go!”  As if this wasn’t enough to warrant inclusion on this list, he then leads an entire nation, is given the Ten Commandments and even gets to feel God’s presence.  Moses’ inclusion is for delivering an entire nation from slavery and leading them in following God. 

            Rahab put her life on the line to protect two Israelite spies in Jericho.  She even admitted to housing them to the King of Jericho and then when it was dark she let them out of the city behind those who were pursuing them.  Somehow she knew they were from the Lord and that Jericho didn’t have much longer to stand so she asked them to spare her and her family.  Rahab welcomed mysterious strangers of the Lord and now stands as a hero of faith.  Gideon went and destroyed the altar of Baal.  What is amazing about this is that Baal was the god of the Midianites, a powerful nation that was harassing and destroying the economy of the Israelites.  This starts a bit of a fight so Gideon set out with 32,000 for the battle but God had other plans.  God keeps telling him to leave soldiers behind finally leaving Gideon with 300 with which to defeat the Midianites.  And he actually goes forward with God’s plan!

Samson was gifted with extraordinary strength and used it to pull down a building full of Philistines.  Unfortunately, this act also entailed the taking of his own life as he was chained to the pillars that he demolished to accomplish the feat.  David is the man of God’s own heart.  We tend to lift him up as the ultimate leader and the quintessential role model.  He reformed Israel as the king.  He patiently endured death threats from Saul trying to prevent him from taking his place as the anointed king of Israel.  He penned many of the prayers we now know as the Psalms.  Samuel was a young boy that could hear God’s voice.  In fact, when he first heard God speak, he was the only one who could hear God.  Not even Eli, the head priest could hear God.   

That leave three individuals that gave me pause when I read the list: Enoch, Barak and Jephthah.  I recognized the name Barak for what it means in Hebrew: blessing, but didn’t quite remember what he had done to warrant inclusion in this list.  And, maybe because I was sleeping in both Sunday school and my Old Testament class when the names Enoch and Jephthah were mentioned, I had no clue who those two individuals were much less why there were on such a prestigious list.  I guess they deserve to be here, don’t they?  The writer of Hebrews wouldn’t induct any questionable names or those of little faith into this hall of fame would he?  This made me dig around in the Bible for these individuals to learn what great acts they accomplished. 

Barak led 10 thousand Israelites into a potential battle based on the words of Deborah, one of the judges of ancient Israel.  As we would expect this results in a major victory for Israel and Barak gets recognition on this list for following the commands of God as relayed by someone who heard God’s voice.  I can live with his inclusion in the hall of fame; the other two leave me a bit puzzled.

Enoch is reported to have never died, though I’m not so sure of this.  In Genesis it just says that he walked with God and after 365 years was no more because God took him.  We don’t know what he did to warrant the honor of walking with God, something only really mentioned in relation to Adam and Eve.  We do know that he was father to Methuselah, you know Old Methuselah who lived to be 965 years old and he was Noah’s great-grandfather.  I guess including Enoch is like including Emily Putich or Alfred Smith in the College Basketball Hall of Fame.  Don’t know who they are?  Coach K’s mom and Dean Smith’s father.  Definitely an induction based on potential.

Jephthah is the most shocking of the list.  When I reread his story in Judges I remembered who he was and couldn’t believe that he was included in this list of honor.  He was disowned by Israel because of his lineage but in a time of need they called upon him to lead their army.   He just kept defeating army after army and gets a little confident of himself or something.  He decides to make a vow that if the Lord would hand over Israel’s greatest enemy, the Ammonites, then he would sacrifice the first thing to come out of his house to meet him as a burnt offering.  Now nothing in Israel’s belief system would have prompted this brash deal.  Well, he won and when he returns home a conquering hero who is the first to come out and greet him?  His daughter.  His only child.  He kept his vow.  Later he goes and kills 42 thousand fellow Israelites because they were unable to pronounce a certain word.  This guy gets included in this list?  Why lift up people like Enoch and Jephthah as examples of good faith?

But, what if that is the point?  What if they are as deserving of recognition and the future in Christ as those we see as our heroes of faith?  What if they are equals to Abraham, Noah and Moses?  I think the writer of Hebrews is making that exact point.  In our modern mindset we tend to venerate people, including those on this list, based on their accomplishments.  But if we take a closer look at these individuals a different picture of their lives and faith may appear.  Abel may not be the innocent child that we picture in our minds.  Anyone with a younger brother knows they can be the most annoying and cunning individuals.  Believe it or not sometimes they just keep pushing our buttons until we snap.  There were times my younger brother did just that and got the reaction he wanted so I would get in trouble.  This typical brotherly “love” is captured by an ancient Hebrew midrash depicting Abel as gloating over God’s love incessantly such that Cain just snaps and didn’t realize he had killed the brother he loved.  While the fights with my brother didn’t have disastrous consequences, the emotions were similar. 

Abraham lied about his wife Sarah, saying she was his sister, to save his own life, committed adultery and cast out his first born son.  Ham, one of Noah’s sons embarrassed Noah when Noah was drunk so Noah cursed Ham’s son, who did nothing, to punish Ham.  Moses murdered an Egyptian in a fit of rage.  Also, while leading Israel in the wilderness he got mad with God and threw a temper tantrum that kept him from entering the Promised Land with the people he led for 40 years.  Rahab was a prostitute.  Gideon tested God with a fleece.  Twice because the first time God demonstrated nature was under God’s command, Gideon felt he needed more proof.  Samson used his gifts for all the wrong reasons and purposely married a woman that was forbidden and lived a life of excess and debauchery.  David committed adultery and then conspired to kill a man so he could marry his wife.  Samuel eventually fell into the ways of Eli and abdicated his authority as judge and prophet in Israel to his sons.  In return, his sons performed poorly and were a disgrace leading Israel to loudly demand a king.  Samuel’s actions led to a distinct distrust of the people in God’s ability to rule over the land in a fair and just manner. 

This is the inaugural class of our faith hall of fame.  We have added many more in the last few centuries: Paul, Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin, Bonhoeffer, MLK, Mother Teresa.  While we focus on their accomplishments and the fruits of their faith we need to remember that each of these individuals are as flawed as those in the inaugural class and as us.  So what do all of these individuals have in common with each other?  What do we have in common with those on this list?  Just like with most children’s sermons the answer is Jesus.  His work on earth and the cross cleared the way for grace to be the dominating factor in our induction into this faith hall of fame.  Jesus did what was necessary for all of us to walk around knowing we are inductees into this faith hall of fame also called a priesthood of all believers or even a cloud of witnesses.  But we also have to do something.  By faith, we have to follow God’s call.  It may not be as drastic as Abraham’s dropping everything to travel to a new land, it may be a little more complicated than just living your life like little known Enoch.  I don’t think we’ll need to go into battle like Barak or build an ark like Noah.  All we have to do is be receptive to God’s working in our lives and God’s speaking to us in many different ways, including through the voices of those sitting in this room. 

But, regardless of how God calls us to fulfill God’s purpose on earth, the one thing we do to get inducted into this hall of fame is having the faith to say yes to God. When Jesus walked the earth he put it in one of the most powerful two word phrases ever uttered: “Follow Me!”  He didn’t promise anything in this life, in fact he warned of the danger in obeying that command.  Many have heard the command and turned the other way because they can’t comprehend not receiving something for following or because the near term consequences overshadow the glorious reward of “an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.” Once we agree to follow God and put God at the top of our mind, we are inducted into the faith hall of fame the benefits of which are eternal life and indescribable and incomprehensible rewards at the fulfillment of time.  Now that I think about it the writer of Hebrews had it correct by saying that faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.  By faith, it really is that simple.

Youth In the Church

While I don't put myself forward as any type of expert in youth and young adult ministry, I have been involved in those types of ministries for a number of years.  Frequently, despite the ministry model in which I have worked, participated or watched leaders state that the youth aren't the future of the church but they are, in fact, the present church.  While I agree with this sentiment in its pure form it has bothered me over the years, but I just couldn't put my finger on why a statement that I wholeheartedly agree with bothered me.  While I was at the Montreat youth conferences again this summer working with as the Work Crew Coordinator (I got to work with college aged young adults in helping do many of the small unseen tasks that make the conference a success as well as lead them in a small group discussion every morning) I again heard that phrase from the leaders of the conference.  And then it hit me why that phrase bothers me.  From my perspective (and that of the young adults I was working with this summer), those words ring hollow and the youth and young adults from my denomination know it. 

The PC(USA) talks a good game about their youth ministry, and to their credit they make great efforts to demonstrate that the youth are an important part of the church right now.  We have the Montreat youth conferences for high school aged youth, conferences for middle school aged youth, an impressive college conference that brings in big named speakers, a young adult volunteer program that sends young adults to year long mission experiences and we even include young adults in our General Assembly as advisory delegates, we even ordain some youth and young adults as elders in local congregations (there are many more ways, but I think you get the point).  And as I look over that last sentence that I just typed, at first glance it may seem like that is enough.  However, we fail in two major ways.  First, we tend to have the attitude that after they graduate high school we set them out in the world to find their way and wait for them to return to the denomination (if they don't lose total faith) when they are grown and have children.  Secondly, we don't really back up all these programs with any force in how we include youth in our daily lives as congregations.  (I know that some congregations are doing phenomenal work but I will take the liberty of making a sweeping generalization based on my wide geographic base of church attendance over the years due to the military and discussion with youth from areas I haven't lived in yet). 

We need congregations near college campuses to reach out and embrace every single college student that grew up in the PC(USA).  This isn't just supporting campus ministries though they need a great deal of financial support and volunteer leaders and mentors.  We need congregations to live into that connectional system we like to brag about and talk with each other as we send youth to new congregations.  We also need to do this with all members, but I am focusing on youth and young adults.  In fact, the Book of Order outlines how the session should contact the receiving session to help members that move connect with a local worshiping congregation.  In all my moves I don't recall that ever happening or even having one session provide a list of congregations in the area.  Congregations could work with the campus minister and come in and introduce themselves to the students and offer a Sunday School class or a small group for them outside of their school.  They could also volunteer to provide congregation members to serve as mentors or "adoptive parents."  I still am in contact with families from congregations that reached out to me as a young adult and made sure I had a church home in every way.  In fact, two of those families pitched in together to purchase my robe for my ordination service and beyond.  The possibilities are endless and I am confident that if we put the issue before our congregations the need would be filled in a rapid and enthusiastic manner.

The second issue revolves around how we bring youth and young adults into "leadership" positions and then don't treat them in the same manner.  This struck me when I looked at the disparity between the number of youth elders at Montreat

Pardon me while I step down from my soapbox.