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August 30 The civil authorities, the "free market," and businessIn the goold ole' US of A we are routinely subjected to the propaganda of both political parties: On the left we hear, "People need help and it is the government's job to give it!" On the right we hear, "The government needs to back off and the market will fix itself!" While we hear this whine virtually every day, it reaches a feverish pitch during a presidential campaign.
Since the early 1900s the Democrats have been agitating for socialized medicine. (Every election year they make the status quo out to be a virtual crisis...) Since the 1980s Republicans have argued that the outsourcing of jobs overseas is good for our economy. Do I come across as jaded? Perhaps I am. But anyway...
I realize that in this country when one "expert" says something with which we disagree we simply try to trump that person by quoting a different "expert" who agrees with our own position. So I'm not going to pretend that I'll convince all my readers. In fact, I don't want to try. I simply want to ask a question and then encourage you to sit back and puff on your pipe while you reflect for a while.
Historically, Christians have argued that God has given us government (rulers, authorities, etc...) for a few reasons. Two of which are to restrain wickedness and promote good. These purposes are built upon an understanding of the reality of sin. Of course, since all humans are sinful then it follows that all human institutions are tainted by it as well, and this includes the very governments that are ordained by God as his ministers to maintain social order.
In fulfillment of these purposes, governments inact laws and pass legislation that are more or less just in nature. Some of these laws and bits of legislation serve primarily to restrain wickedness - that is, they protect me from you, and you from me. Others focus on promoting good - such as building bridges and roads. Of course, many laws do both simultaneously.
Most of us love the free market of our capitalistic system. In a fallen world where people are motivated by greed - they won't work hard unless they know their work will get them ahead of others - capitalism works. Beyond that, I think that in most cases it is just: The idea of hard work getting you ahead while sluggardliness leads to destruction is asserted time and again in Scripture.
But at what point does a free market become dangerous?
Now, I'm conservative. Theologically,morally, socially, I'm as conservative as you can be. And so are most of the people with whom I interact. And I know that many of these people can hardly conceive of the free market being dangerous. Indeed, back when gas was a mere $1.36 a gallon I had a conversation with a friend in which I was complaining about the price of fuel. He told me that under no circumstances should the government get involved with price regulation and that $5.00 a gallon (that was his hypothetical price) would be a "victory" for capitalism.
Well, maybe or maybe not. I'll let others debate that point.
Here's my contention: My Christian conservative friends buy hook line and sinker into the line about the market fixing our economic problems by itself, and all that other jazz. They seem to think and act that businesses (and the impersonal market) are free from the effects of sin. Now, of course, when you actually put it to them they'll readily grant that since all individuals are sinful then any organization of humans is likewise contaminated with sin. But in discourse they sound an awful lot like they think the "free market" and business always work towards our best interest. But as a responsible - conservative - theologian I can't grant that.
This leads me back to my point about the purposes of government: If governments exist to restrain evil and promote good, and if organizations and corporations - like individuals - are sinful, or at least are tainted by sin, then what must a just government do to protect its people from being taken advantage of or harmed by those organizations?
If you say, "Nothing! Let people take responsibility for themselves," then I hope you're consistent and argue that the government - acting through its agents (the police) - has no obligation to protect you from individuals.
If the government has an obligation to restrain evil (and it does) and promote good (and it does), then what does this look like in relation to the "free market" and business?
What if to protect its people and promote good the government has to limit (!) the free market or business? In other words, what is the higher priority: the government's divinely appointed purpose that transcends every epoch and culture or the "free market" upon which this nation operates?
Just some things to consider...
Until later,
Ben
August 09 Some Thoughts Regarding Carl Trueman's Essay "Knowing the Times"Many of you may be oblivious to the long and painful ordeal through which Westminster Theological Seminary has gone. In the past several months the matter came to a head which resulted in Dr. Peter Enns being released for maintaining and teaching a view of biblical inerrancy which was deemed to be out of accord with the Westminster Standards. What was essentially at stake in this matter was whether or not Westminster Theological Seminary was going to stand firm in its adherence to the historic confession of faith upon which it was founded.
Recently, Dr. Carl Trueman, the Vice President for Academic Affairs, wrote an outstanding article in order to put the recent controversy in its historical context. You can read the full article - and I urge you to do so - in several places. However, I encourage you to read it at the following site so that you can benefit from the excellent comments: Trueman essay
While I hope you will take the time to read the essay in its entirety, I want to highlight a couple of his thoughts. He writes:
[I]t is now clear that Westminster is to be committed to a doctrine of scripture that reflects what is taught in the great confessions of the Reformation, and which has nurtured the confessional evangelical church for centuries. As evangelicalism in general broadens out, as it loses its connection with its confessional Reformation past, as it becomes increasingly vacuous at a doctrinal level, the leaders at Westminster have decided that that is not the path this institution will go down. We will not accept that the Reformation creedal heritage is no longer relevant; we will not accede to the indefinite broadening of evangelicalism’s doctrinal horizons; nor will we subscribe to the modifications of the doctrine of scripture which are such a necessary part of that broadening. Rather, we will stand where we have always stood, on the great solas of the Reformation: Christ, scripture, grace, faith, and, above all, God’s glory. He goes on to say,
Does this restrict freedom of speech or academic freedom, as some have claimed? Well, no-one has to take the Faculty Pledge and commit themselves thereby to upholding the teaching of Westminster Standards: the First Amendment guarantees that the Westminster Standards can never be imposed as a condition of American citizenship or civil freedom; and, beyond that, evangelicalism is broad enough to provide plenty of professional opportunities for those gifted scholars who cannot do so. But make no mistake: those who choose to be Faculty at Westminster are voluntarily bound by the Faculty Pledge to non-negotiable standards of doctrine, life, and teaching. Amen!
I believe that this act of "drawing the line in the sand" is of incredible importance in our day. As Evangelicalism becomes more and more theologically anemic and biblical authority is questioned and denied in a variety of venues, the need to assert our doctrinal positions with clarity and passion in order to maintain a truly biblical witness in this culture is of vital importance lest we allow ourselves to become diluted to the point of irrelevancy.
Furthermore, I believe that this renewed commitment to asserting historic, confessional, Reformed theology will do much to restore the trust of churches and presbyteries in Westminster Theological Seminary as a place committed to the faith delivered once for all to the saints.
Until later,
Ben August 07 Pipe Smoking and the Worship of GodGod, in His grace, has lavished us with the creative power to find spiritual object lessons in nearly every facet of life. Below is one such lesson. It is a poem written by Johann Sebastian Bach which chronicles the kind of introspective pondering that seems to come naturally while puffing on a pipe. Enjoy!
August 05 Got a knife in your back?
I talk with a lot of folks who are hurting. Usually their life is in shambles due to the consequences of bad decision making.
But there are many times when the person sitting across from me has been betrayed by someone they love – a spouse, child, parent, sibling, or friend – and they’re left picking up the pieces.
Has that happened to you? Maybe you’ve invested your life in your children and now that they’re grown they’ve abandoned you. Perhaps a parent has not taken care of you, leaving you with one relative or another as he/she does his/her own thing. Maybe a friend whom you thought was tried and true has turned against you. Has your spouse abandoned, abused, or committed adultery against you?
Chances are each and every one of us has either been betrayed by someone close to us or we are in relationship with someone who has experienced this.
I want to encourage those who are still smarting from the pain of betrayal. You may not feel it or think it, but God is there. God, who is an ever present help in times of trouble, is there… God, who hears the cries of the afflicted, is there… God, who vindicates the innocent and punishes the guilty, is there… God, who rescues us from the abyss, is there… God, who renews our strength, is there!
Have you been betrayed? I urge you to turn to Jesus. He is able to relate to your experience. Did you know that he too was betrayed? He was sold out by his close friend Judas Iscariot… He was disowned – three times! – by his even closer friend Peter. He knows about being left high and dry.
So, Christian, turn to Jesus and He will send the Spirit to comfort and to mend. Allow God to minister to you through His people. Receive the Lord’s Supper as a sign and seal of the Triune God’s love for you and of the fact that you are now in covenant with the One who will never leave nor forsake you.
It will take time to recover from the effects of human betrayal, but with the grace of God recovery can take place.
Until later,
Ben August 04 Trip to Asheville, NCThings have been very stressful at work. We tried to get away as a family for the 4th of July weekend, but alas, a suicide in my unit compelled us to cut short our weekend getaway.
This past weekend I took a 4-day pass (think vacation that doesn't count against my accrued days... yeah, there are some perks to this Army gig). We got someone to watch our kids, house, and dog (thanks Andrea!) so that we could head up to Asheville, NC.
Why go to Asheville? Because we wanted to see the Biltmore Estate! That place, built by George Vanderbilt, is astounding. If you ever get the chance to visit the place, trust me... you'll be amazed. After visiting the winery on the Estate, we purchased what is my new favorite wine: Cabernet Franc. It tastes pretty much like the Cabernet Sauvignon with which you may be familiar, but it is much more smooth.
We had a good time at our Bed & Breakfast as well. This may interest some of you: Our final morning there, as we were having breakfast, who should come sit at our little table but the WWE wrestler known as Edge. I had no idea who he was. (In fact, none of us at the table did.) He wasn't boastful or anything. We had a good breakfast and a good conversation.
Our vacation is now over and I'm back at work. I've included a few pics for your enjoyment.
Until later,
Ben
July 29 Glad we didn't cut and runThe liberals in this country have all but gone silent about the war in Iraq. You rarely hear a peep out of them anymore. That's because they're weak-minded cowards who are constant naysayers about the ability of the American people to overcome difficulty with determination and hardwork. So when precisely that happens... well... all that's left is silence.
Here's the AP article: US winning in Iraq
As I was reading this article I remembered all the voices of protest from the Left and I had to chuckle...
Perhaps you've seen (hopefully you don't sport) one of those naive bumper stickers that says, "Give peace a chance." Well, I've recently seen a more appropriate version of that sticker and it reads, "Give war a chance."
We should all want peace, but the pathway to true peace is through the forest of conflict. And if you lose the conflict - especially a conflict of the nature of the one in which we presently find ourselves - you give up peace.
Until later,
Ben
July 27 We must evangelize... even (especially!) when it is illegalI've just found out about this and I want both to share and to comment on it. I encourage you to read the article in the attached link:
For those who don't have the time or desire to read the entire article, here's the core:
The eldest son of renowned evangelist Billy Graham said he opposed missionary work during the Games because it is prohibited under Chinese law, and he does not encourage anything illegal. Those words constitute nothing less than a disgraceful, world-appeasing copout. Franklin Graham has essentially disowned the millions of Christians around the world who have witnessed, suffered, and died in faithful obedience to the Lord from the stoning of Stephen (in Acts 7) until now. Graham apparently has bought into the worldly-wise idea that if you make concessions in some areas then you win an audience in others. The reality is that the world hates the truth. The world hates the light. The world does all that it can to supress the truth of God. When faced with the charge of having "broken the law" by proclaiming the Gospel despite being ordered by the authorities to cease from that activity, how did the Apostles respond? Their words are recorded in Acts 5:29. With boldness and conviction they replied to the members of the ruling council, "We must obey God rather than man!" Did you get that? We MUST obey God rather than man. There is a principle here which faithful Christians have applied from that time until now: We are to obey the government EXCEPT when the government tells us to sin. And keeping quiet, when we have received orders from the TRUE Lord to the contrary, is sin! Back to the article. Compare Graham's position of cowardly faithlessness with the words of Bob Fu:
Now THIS is the spirit and tone of historic, apostolic Christianity! Brothers and Sisters, the storm clouds are on the horizon: the day is coming when there will be immense societal and even legal pressure on us to be silent about the Gospel. Let us never forget that we are citizens of the Heavenly City, the New Jerusalem, and that our loyalty is to the King of Kings... not to the spirit of this age. Until later, Ben July 26 Obama the "World Citizen"As you know, Barack Hussein Obama recently completed a tour of Europe. Among other events he spoke at a rally in Berlin to a crowd estimated at over 200,000 in attendance.
Some political commentators speculate that a part of his goal was to shore up his foreign diplomacy credentials. I hope that wasn't the case - or at least I hope that Obama's camp doesn't try to act as if a whirlwind tour of Europe constitutes credentialing.
Obama's speech on the 25th of July to the crowd in Berlin was telling. His comment about being a "world citizen," while it has received attention from conservative pundits, really shouldn't have been too surprising. After all, the man is clearly a wacko liberal. Virtually every other wacko liberal I've encountered has the same basic belief about being a "citizen of the world" rather than a citizen of the good ole' US of A.
What does it matter? To cast yourself as a "citizen" of a given place is to cast your lot in terms of values, priorities and allegiance.
Obama is saying by that "world citizen" comment that he believes "the world's" welfare is more important than America's. Sure, America as a part of the world is important, but where the "world's" need conflicts with America's, then his priority is the world at large. That is what virtually every liberal really means. They may not say it because they depend upon American votes to put them in a position of power to use as a platform for their agenda. But they believe it.
I don't want my President acting for Germany's best interest. I don't want him primarily concerned about the wages and working conditions of workers in Malaysia.
I want my President to be concerned primarily with the good of THIS nation. If we can help out others in the process, then fine. But America has enough issues that - in my opinion - warrant attention and concern.
Concerning Obama's patriotism and or loyalty to this country, there have been too many "little things," too many "warning signs," for me to overlook: I seriously doubt his commitment to this country.
If elected to the Presidency, his tenture will undoubtedly be good for "the world." But I doubt it will be so rosy for America.
I don't want a "world citizen" to be my President. I want my President to be robustly and vigorously American. But maybe I'm in the minority here...
Until later,
Ben July 24 So busy...I have been unbelievably busy for the past several weeks. We have had two deaths in my unit - one of which was a suicide - and a couple suicide attempts. The deaths translate into increased counseling and the stress that comes with the public visibility and scrutiny surrounding the memorial ceremony. Since one of the deaths was a suicide, this means that we have had to give everyone in our very large organization a suicide prevention brief. (For those who have never served in the military, a "suicide brief" is basically when we tell you the signs that a person sometimes gives when they're planning on commiting the act and we remind people of the places that they can go to get help for either themselves or others who need help. Oh, and we tell them not to kill themselves.)
In addition to this, I've had an average of 4 people a day come in to my office for one reason or another. Much of what I do in terms of counseling could more appropriately be labeled as social work than "ministry." It gets tiring when people come to me and have the audacity to say that they don't want any "religion" and that they "just" want me to fix their problem(s). Yes, I share the Gospel and I give counsel that is consistent with my understanding of Scripture and the Westminster Standards... but it gets really really old having people come to you who have absolutely no desire to listen to anything "religious."
I'm trying to actively visit my Soldiers in order to build rapport so that (hopefully) they'll come to me in times of crisis and so that (again, hopefully) I'll have an opening for the Gospel... that activity eats up about an hour and a half to two hours of my day.
We've got a Singles' Retreat in the works - that should be fun... I'm going to teach them how to (hopefully) not marry losers. I've got a few pizza luncheons coming up... We're doing a Marriage Retreat next month... and a Reunion Seminar in September.
On top of that I've got briefings to give and meetings to attend.
Oh... and lest I forget... Sunday morning still comes around every week... so I have to prepare for worship services.
It is pretty crazy: I'm an ordained minister. A chaplain in the US Army. I "feel" like a bivocational pastor: I have this "job" in addition to my Sunday worship responsibilities. I get to prepare for Sunday "when I can" - which usually means on my own time because my Sunday responsibilities aren't the concern of my unit, so they don't want my daily time focusing on those "other" duties instead of the matters that are of concern for my unit. For me it is pretty sad: there is no task I enjoy more than that of proclaiming the Word of God. Period. But my present situation is so busy with "other" things that preaching - the thing I know really is my joy - is presently more of a burden than anything else.
Please pray for me: That I would be a faithful Christian and minister, a good husband and father, and that I would work hard for my employer. Please pray for my family - especially my wife - as there are days when I come home so worn out and drained that I can't even carry on a conversation (and for those who know me... you know that's pretty hard to imagine!).
Until later,
Ben
July 23 Beginning anewI've decided to give myself a "fresh start" with this site. I've taken down all the old photos and I'll probably remove the old blog entries. There have been a lot of things happening lately which have caused me to desire to post thoughts in the public arena, so I'm going to stop being lazy - or too overworked to care - and do it. More to follow.
Until later,
Ben January 19 Long absenceWow! I can't believe that it has been approximately three-and-a-half months since I last updated my blog. A lot has been happening and I've been very busy, but still... I should either post or delete this site. I will post a substantive piece in a bit. Sorry for being neglectful.
Until Later,
Ben October 06 Finally!When I wrote my last update we were scheduled to close on our home... well, we did so and since September 22 we've been living in our house... without any of our furniture. We bought an air mattress for ourselves and we've had the kids sharing a futon bed which we borrowed from some good friends.
This week was a BIG week... we were visited by the DISH network guy, the phone and internet guy... and finally... our furniture arrived! Our stuff got here on Thursday - good timing because I have a 4-day weekend this week. So we've been busy for the past two days with all the unpacking. We still have boxes of stuff to go through, but we've got the bulk of it finished.
I look forward to being able to organize my office... particularly my library. But first I need to help with the rest of the house.
Until later,
Ben September 01 Hotel lifeIt is Saturday night. We've been in Fayetteville for almost one week. I am so sick of restaurant food. And, believe it or not, so are the kids. Even when I get hungry I don't want to eat because I'm sick of eating out. I want to eat some of my wife's grub.
It has been 6 days of living in a cramped hotel room. The kids are going a little stir crazy... but then again, so are Kay and I!
Here's the good news: Monday morning we began our house hunting. Monday and Tuesday we went and visited a large number of homes. Late Tuesday afternoon while visiting one house, we looked down the street and saw a for sale sign on a home that looked amazing. So we came back later that evening and walked through it... it was great! The next day we made an offer that was accepted. Lord willing, we will be closing on our home on September 21.
Until that time, however, we will be living in an extended stay hotel. Please keep us in your prayers.
Until later,
Ben August 22 UpdatePlease accept my humble apology... It has been over two months since my last entry and for that I am sorry. I was very - unusually - busy for much of that time. In fact, things were so hectic for me that I am still several emails behind. So if I owe you a reply to some email you sent... please have patience because I will (God permitting!) eventually get around to you.
Here is the big bit of news: While Kay has made improvement in terms of her legs, she still is not quite able to manage on her own. As a result, the Army has sent me home to take care of her and the kids. Very soon we'll be returning to the Fort Bragg area where I will be reassigned to another unit there.
I miss my unit that remains deployed. My chain of command was extremely gracious to me and the relationships I built up and down the ranks will not soon be forgotten. But that said, my family is most dear to me and so I'm happy to be reunited with them in order to care for them.
Unless things change, I will eventually have to deploy with the new unit to which I'll be reporting in about a week, but at least for the time being I'll be home. We are talking with realtors about purchasing a house near Fort Bragg. One of the nice things about the South is that you get a lot of home for your money... but please pray for wisdom that we won't try to get the "best we can afford" because when we leave in 2 or 3 years it will be difficult to sell if our home is too pricey for most soldiers.
Until later,
Ben June 27 Back in the saddle againWell... the vacation is over. I'm back to the grindstone. I left Bagram on May 28 and I returned on June 25... Not all of that was actual time spent enjoying my family... there were several days of travel involved. But the total effect was that I was gone a month. I returned to a huge backlog of issues.
Flying into and out of the combat zone here we stopped in a certain Middle Eastern country for a couple days... my goodness... it was HOT. I literally vomited because I was so hot. The daytime temperature was approx 130 degrees. I think that God wanted sinners to have something in this life to give a foretaste of the fires of hell... and so He gave the world the Middle East. Ugh. I have absolutely no desire to go on a deployment to Iraq... not because I fear the enemy... I just can't stand that heat. It was miserable. But I digress...
I had an enjoyable time at home. I was able to spend a lot of time with my wife and kids. It was lots of fun to wrestle and rough house with my children. It was even more fun to... snuggle... with my wife! ;) In addition, I was able to spend a good bit of time with my brother Steve... I was able to participate in the baptism service for their kids. All of us got together at my mom's gravesite. I wanted a picture of my mom's descendants all together in one place. I'm grateful that everyone was willing to humor me.
My wife and mother-in-law coordinated a fairly large party in which I was able to see several family members on all sides as well as several old aquaintances. My mother-in-law, Nita, commissioned her friend to make a cake for the event and it was a true work of art. In addition, to the party, we grilled, smoked meat, and ate out several times.
I, for one, drank too much beer (not at one time mind you, just over the duration!) and ate too much food... all while doing NO running or weight lifting. So unfrotunately, I gained 10 lbs and got out of shape. So now I'm having to work extra hard to lose it.
The highlight of my leave was being there for the birth of our FOURTH child... but I've already posted about that.
We are now 5 1/2 months into our deployment... 9 1/2 to go.
Well, I'm off to visit my soldiers.
Until later,
Ben June 16 New addition to the familyOk... it has been several weeks since my last post and for that I only partially apologize. I'm currently on R&R leave and my intent was to wait until I got back to Bagram to write an entry about my entire experience... but, there's one thing about which I'm SO proud that I have to break my silence...
On June 12, 2007, my wife delivered our son, Josiah! He came into the world 21" long and weighing 8 lbs 6 oz. Josiah is a handsome little dude, if I do say so myself!
Like just about every newborn, he spends most of his time sleeping... though he wakes up long enough to eat and look around for a bit. He is doing quite well.
As a result of the delivery, my wife experienced what can best be described as partial paralysis of her lower half. However, thankfully she is slowly showing improvement and she is gradually regaining use of her legs. Hopefully she'll be back to 100% in the very near future. My commander has been gracious enough to extend my leave to care for my family while my wife recovers. There's a lesson here for all: for subordinates, do a good job at work so that (unless they're parasites) your leadership/management will be more willing to inconvenience themselves for you when your back is up against a wall; for those in positions of leadership, take care of your subordinates and (unless they're mere mercenaries) they'll be more apt to want to work extra hard for you in response.
We are simultaneously humbled and comforted knowing that my wife's affliction and our son's healthy birth BOTH come to us from the hand of our loving Father. It is truly calming and reassuring to know that this difficulty has been carefully measured out and that we are not experiencing even ONE degree of difficulty beyond which the Great King has decreed for His glory and our good.
Please pray for a rapid and thorough recovery for my wife so that she can, well, walk around and do all the "normal" things we do in life... in addition to her raising our FOUR young children! Also, her speedy recovery would mean that I can get back to my ministry before too long, and I am needed there. But more than praying for quick recovery, pray that in the midst of this difficulty - however long it may last - that we wouldn't spend our energy bemoaning this trial, but that we would instead view it as an opportunityto magnify Christ in our weakness.
Until later,
Ben May 20 The allure of the "Cuban cigar"This post is primarily intended for my readers who've ever wondered if they're "missing out" on something good by the fact that Cuban cigars are difficult to come by in the States.
I've now smoked a handful of them. You see, not only are they legal here in this country, but they're also perfectly legal in all of our NATO ally countries. So I have regular access to them.
Let me say that what I've read in certain aficionado magazines is correct: Cuban cigars are living on the reputation they made for themselves during their glorious heyday. (Much like Westminster Theologicial Seminary in PA... but that's a different matter.) The handful that I've smoked have not been "bad" cigars. Their quality has been virtually indistinguishable from any $5 or $6 cigar I can buy legally in America. So don't get me wrong... the Cubans aren't poor quality stogies. It's just that they aren't great, which is what I had been led to believe they would be.
While they compete with virtually every mid-range cigar I've smoked, the Cubans I've sampled can't touch the super premiums that I've been enjoying, such as Rocky Patel Vintage or AVO or Cienfuegos or Gurkha Legend, etc...
I just wanted you to know... in case you were curious.
Until later,
Ben May 13 Happy Mother's Day!I recently scolded a young sailor for not having contacted his parents during the entire 3 months he has been here. I asked him if he hates his family. “No, sir,” came the reply. I asked him if his family hates him. Again, “No, sir.” Then why aren’t you calling home? “My mom irritates me.” That was when the scolding came.
My mom passed away in the summer of 2005. She was a kind-hearted woman, but she could be very, very irritating to me. For example, whenever I’d give her a hug I would approach her with my chin to my chest because if I didn’t, she’d try to give me a raspberry on my neck. That kind of thing drove me nuts.
But do you want to know something? Mind you, what I’m about to tell you may seem odd if you haven’t lost someone you love… The truth is, now, almost two years later… I actually miss the silly things my mom would do that used to irritate me to no end.
So here’s my advice, my counsel to you. Take it for what it is worth: Your mom isn’t perfect. There, I said it. I got it out of the way. But neither are you – remember that. Spend more time and energy focusing on your imperfections than hers (or anyone else's for that matter). Let the knowledge of your own fallability lead you to be gracious to your mom. Enjoy her while you have her, for the day is coming when you will want to pick up the phone and give her a call, or you’ll miss a particular food dish that she prepared in a way that no one else can quite match, or you’ll miss the idiosyncrasies she has that makes up a portion of who she is, but she will have gone to the grave, and you will be left with only memories. Do your best to make them good ones. Okay?
So use today as an excuse to give your mom a hug… and, yes... let her give you a raspberry on your neck if she wants.
I could end my post there… but God has graced my life by bringing into it two additional women who are mothers, and I would be remiss to not take a moment to mention them.
The first is my mother-in-law. I am grateful to have a mother-in-law who is interested in me and is proud of me. It is comforting to know that she will always open her house to my family. And I salivate knowing that whenever I go to her house we are going to have some deliciously prepared, slow cooked ribs and other meats. She is a voracious reader and I am continually amazed at the breadth of her knowledge. She raised her own three children with selflessness and great care. I am happy that my children are able to spend this year in her home. Hopefully it will be a time they never forget.
The second is my wife. She occasionally declares that she feels like she is raising me… while I’m not quite sure that is an objectively justifiable assertion, the truth is that my wife HAS made my life much better. Without her I would be a shell of who I am. I most certainly wouldn’t be a chaplain in the US Army. Interestingly, even she will credit our current financial standing to my discipline, but in all honesty, when we first got married I knew NOTHING about financial management. It was my wife who taught me how to do things like balance a checkbook, make a simple budget, etc… I just took the ball and ran with it. But I am most happy about how good a mother she is to our children. Our three kids are blessed to have a mommy who in this day and age still desires above all else to raise her children. My wife plays with them, teaches them, doctors them, referees them, cooks for them, cleans them, and disciplines them. She spends herself day and night, night and day raising our children to be intelligent, respectful, "well adjusted," and godly. A lesser, more selfish, woman would take the easier route of letting someone else raise her kids while she pursues glory and riches in the workplace. I realize I just openly stated my opinion on a very touchy subject… but what can I say… That is my firm belief, and I’m proud of my wife for choosing the route of selfless sacrifice over that of professional advancement. As a result, I'm humbly honored to have the privilege of providing financially for her.
So, to my mother who is now in the presence of the King, and to the two mothers in my life… I salute you! And I will honor you today by smoking a celebratory super premium cigar that I purchased for such a time as this.
Until later,
Ben May 12 Bagram Update #10We have now completed the 4th month of this deployment... and there is still no final word on whether or not we're going to be extended 3 months.
Things are going well... as I mentioned in the past, we are in a routine now, and it can at times feel monotonous. I never get a day off. The closest thing to "time off" is when I simply turn on a movie and watch it in my office, or when I go outside to smoke a stogie on our back deck, or when I go to the gym to lift weights.
I continue to conduct worship, counsel, visit soldiers, conduct briefings, attend meetings, do memorial ceremonies, etc... During my scheduled "office time" I am essentially on hand to provide counseling to walk-ins. While waiting for folks to come in, I am able to do some reading. That has been nice. I'm averaging about one book per week. I'm about to begin some of the substantive material to which I would not normally have time to devote much attention. (Carl Henry's God, Revelation, & Authority... etc...) I'm toying with the idea of reading Karl Barth's Church Dogmatics. He was, after all, a giant in the early and mid 20th Century. But we'll see...
I am VERY VERY VERY excited because I get to go home on R&R leave in a few weeks. Most of you have no idea what it is like to be away from your family for extended periods, but let me tell you... it is NOT fun!
Well, I'm going to go eat lunch and smoke a stogie while I start reading a book that my wife recently sent me.
Oh, that reminds me... for any of you cigar lovers out there... check out this site: www.cigarsintl.com which is the website for Cigars International. They also operate the site www.cigarbid.com that I have used on multiple occasions. Their selection is incredible. Their prices are amazing. Their quality is fantastic. Their service is stupendous. (For those of you wishing to purchase a gift for me... a box of Onyx Reserve Robusto would be wonderful...)
Until later,
Ben May 01 New Photo AlbumI created a new photo album to show off some of the pictures I took while on a recent trip. I took several more, but for security reasons... you know the deal.
Enjoy!
Until Later,
Ben |
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