Ben... On Point!: Blog

Long absence

Sat, 19 Jan 2008 21:53:10 GMT

Wow! 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

Finally!

Sat, 06 Oct 2007 14:16:36 GMT

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

Hotel life

Sun, 02 Sep 2007 03:48:49 GMT

It 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

Update

Wed, 22 Aug 2007 21:06:18 GMT

Please 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

Back in the saddle again

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 05:00:17 GMT

Well... 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

New addition to the family

Sat, 16 Jun 2007 05:17:43 GMT

Ok... 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

The allure of the "Cuban cigar"

Sun, 20 May 2007 06:02:23 GMT

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

Happy Mother's Day!

Sun, 13 May 2007 05:36:58 GMT

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

Bagram Update #10

Sat, 12 May 2007 07:10:18 GMT

We 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

New Photo Album

Tue, 01 May 2007 16:28:23 GMT

I 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

Bagram Update #9

Sun, 29 Apr 2007 19:16:07 GMT

A lot has happened since I last made an entry. Actually, I should back up to Easter Sunday, which was prior to my post on April 12. I would have mentioned the Easter service at that time, but I was too irritated.

So... Easter Sunday went very well. Ours was the largest Easter service in the country, with approximately 500 in attendance. I preached the sermon. Praise the Lord, it was wildly popular and that one event has gained me much visibility with many more troops outside my own battalion.

In the evening service I have finished my 5 part series on Jude. Perhaps the greatest "compliment" that I've received from that series was the number of people in that congregation who sought me out with thoughtful and sincere questions relating to true religion. The other chaplain and I, (we share pastoral oversight for that service), have begun a 9 week series in Philippians. If the Lord permits, after we finish Phillipians we're going to do a series on the 10 Commandments, then a survey through the Psalms, after that... well, that's still up in the air.

In recent weeks I've been able to go out several times. Strange how I can go almost 4 months only going out a few times then in the span of 3 weeks I've gone out quite a bit with my guys. It is quite amazing how thrilled the soldiers get when I come along with them. I don't have to say or do anything. They simply love the fact that I wanted to be with them. At one point we stopped on a hillside and got out on top of our vehicles. (I was wishing that I'd brought a cigar... I've learned my lesson. Now I ensure that whenever I go out I'm ALWAYS in possession of a cigar.) As we sat there observing the area for about an hour I was able to move to different vehicles and I ended up conducting 3 meaningful counseling sessions in that period.

Unfortunately we have had another loss. The soldier apparently just died in his sleep. He was about a month shy of his 21st birthday. I have so many soldiers under my care that I can't recall all their names, so when they first told me his name it didn't ring a bell... but when I saw his picture I was shocked: this soldier is the one I spoke about in my post from Manas back in January... the soldier with whom I had a very thoughtful spiritual conversation in the coffee shop. Since that time I've chatted with him once or twice and I've seen him in my service on two occasions. His passing is one of those sad and surprising things that serves to remind us that we really are frail. It brought home for a lot of people the fact that the enemy isn't the only thing that can kill you, that we truly can die at any moment.

I'm very excited... in a little less than a month I'll be heading home to visit my family. I sorely miss them.

Well, it is late here (after 11:30pm) and I need to get up for work in the morning. Speaking of that... here, every day feels like a Tuesday. Since I don't have any day off, I never experience the duldrums that comes with the first day back at work after a weekend... additionally, because of not having a weekend, I never experience anything like a Friday, where there's excitement and anticipation of the coming days off from work. Every day we plod along... Thankfully the ministry is good and I serve a God who is sovereign.

Until later,

Ben

Bagram Update #8

Thu, 12 Apr 2007 05:57:48 GMT

Well.... Yesterday I finished my 3rd month here. My plan was to come on my website and post a blog entry cheerfully noting that I'm now 25% finished with this deployment. However, as I'm sure you're probably aware, Secretary of Defense Gates has just announced that effective immediately active duty Army deployments are now extended from 12 to 15 months. So, now instead of being 25% finished... I'm back to 20%.

I need to think of it in those terms because 5% sounds a lot less than 3 months.

Am I disheartened? Yes. Am I frustrated? Yes. However, I'm not going to go into the nit and gritty of my irritation because Big Brother IS watching...

However, I shouldn't get too upset - nor should you - just yet... there is a distinct possibility that this extension won't apply to us. So things are still somewhat up in the air.

But... regardless of the political powers that be, I believe wholeheartedly in the sovereignty of God. This likely change in plans ultimately comes from His good hand. I will do my best to tell my soul to be still within me and rest in God's goodness. After all, in this context I've been afforded many opportunities to help people and to point them to Christ. In fact, just this day, as I was walking into my office feeling bummed and angry about this news, I was met by a guy I'd counseled a couple months ago. He came to say that he had acted on what we talked about and he was much much better and as a result he wanted to say "thanks." That was a boost. I'm called to serve Christ. I'm called to die to myself. Jesus tells us that in comparison to our love for Him, our love to family should be as hate. So I have a choice: I can be frustrated and bitter and call my endorser to rip up my endorsement (giving me an immediate ticket home and out of the Army), or I can realize that this is an opportunity to serve Christ and truly be with my 1500+ folks who are almost ALL disheartened by this potential change of affairs.

I'll choose, by the grace of God, to serve Him faithfully regardless of my circumstances.

Until later,

Ben

My promotion ceremony!

Sun, 01 Apr 2007 07:14:42 GMT

It's official... I am no longer a First Lieutenant... I am now a Captain!

Yesterday evening we conducted my promotion ceremony in the chapel. I had a large turnout... and the warrant officer who was promoted right after me brought his own group of people, so together we had a rather large crowd of folks.

My Commander lauded me, my buddies pranked me, and good food and conversation was had. It was an enjoyable evening. However, it would have been a lot better had my wife been there to put my rank on me...

Kay has been there with me as my faithful wife through the entire schooling, church ministry, ordination, and accession process. She is, in large part, the reason why I'm a chaplain today. I wish that she could have been able to be the one to promote me.

Numerous pictures have been posted in the new photo album entitled "Promotion Ceremony." Please check them out!

Until later,

Ben

New Photo Albums

Sat, 31 Mar 2007 11:09:15 GMT

Quick announcement - I've updated my site with 3 new photo albums containing several photos. What follows is a quick summary of each album and its contents.

1. Asadabad Trip - A few weeks ago I got to fly out to a remote location to minister. I've included some shots from that trip. More will be added as I collect them from the fellow who traveled with me.

2. USO Visitors - In this album I'll add pictures of me with various celebrities that happen to come to visit the troops. I should be able to get some pretty good opportunities since the other chaplains and I have got in good with the MWR folks. They hooked us up with the first hangout session with Tom Arnold... though the second hangout session came as a result of his having a good time with us at the first session.

3. Memorial Ceremony - This album contains pictures of the memorial ceremony I conducted a couple weeks after arriving at Bagram. I had forgot about the pictures on my camera... but now that I found them, I figured you would appreciate seeing what a memorial display looks like and how a ceremony is conducted.

Enjoy the photos!

Until later,

Ben

Bagram Update #7

Thu, 29 Mar 2007 08:35:11 GMT

I'm sorry to say that I've let you down... in my last post I wrote that the fact that I have not posted any "new" pictures in quite a while would be remedied in the near future. Unfortunately, I haven't taken many interesting pictures lately. However, that should be changing fairly soon...

I hope you can understand what I mean by this: I've been very busy, yet bored. Make sense? What I do keeps me busy, but the nature of much of my job is so monotonous that though I'm busy, I'm bored.

When we first arrived we were informed that eventually it would feel like we're living "Groundhog Day." Now I know what they meant!

Things aren't going bad, though. In fact, they're going quite well! I continue to visit my troopers a couple days a week. The series that I preached from the book of Jude in the Korean service has been modified and now I'm going through it in the Traditional Protestant service. They are enjoying it very much. Last week I preached for 52 minutes on Jude 3-4 and several expressed disappointment that I didn't keep going. After all, as I was told, "What else do we have to do around here on a Sunday night?" However, because there is a pentecostal service after hours, we can't go on indefinitely.

This coming Sunday I'll be expositing Jude 5-16. The title of the sermon is "Under the Microscope: An Examination of False Teachers." I'm going to go into all the root sins, characteristics, tactics, etc... put forth by the Holy Spirit inspired author (Jude) in that text.

The first two messages in my series have resulted in a couple guys coming to me for some beginning discipleship stuff. It has been pretty exciting to see one of them, even in such a short time, begin to change from a "me-centered" approach to Christianity to a "God-centered" understanding. He's a USMC Sergeant (that's an E5 for those in other services). The other is an Army Second Lieutenant (that's an O1 for my Navy readers). For their privacy I'm not going to name them, however, please keep my guys in your prayers.

Some big news for me is that this Saturday, March 31, I will have my promotion ceremony. I'm being promoted from First Lieutenant (O2) to Captain (O3). It's always good when you get a huge pay raise AND more respect from your peers, but no corresponding increase in responsibilities or duties!!

What this promotion COULD do for me is that if there ever is a company commander not wanting to "play nice," I now have the rank to go toe to toe with him - because company commanders are Captains. But, fortunately, I have a bunch of great commanders in my battalion and even as their subordinate I never had any issues with anyone.

Last night we were rocketed. It was a pitiful attempt, but nonetheless we had to assume a defensive posture. After the all-clear was given, a few fellow chaplains and I went out to our patio and smoked stogies with actor/comedian Tom Arnold. I got a couple pictures and those will be posted in a bit. He had such a great time that he wants to do it again before he leaves.

Well, I need to get going... I have to give a new-comers brief in ten minutes.

Until later,

Ben

Bagram Update #6

Sun, 11 Mar 2007 07:58:47 GMT

Today marks the completion of my second month of this deployment. I am now 1/6 of the way done...

It is strange to me that though this place is my home for one year - a fairly significant amount of time - I have resisted the urge to make my room "homey." I don't want to fall into the mindset of thinking of this place as "home." I want to remind myself that I'm here for only a short while.

Aside from the spike caused by the suicide bomber, the main issue for which I've been counseling folks is simply missing home. They don't like being so far from home, for so long. I know how they feel. There are times that I would like a break from my family, but the break I desire is several hours or a day... not two months!

However, as unpleasant as it is to be separated from our loved ones - and to make it worse, to now be surrounded by folks who would love to kill us - I do believe in the goodness of what we're doing here. I believe that helping stabilize Afghanistan - by hunting the folks who would oppress, by building an infrastructure, assisting with the establishment of a democratic system, etc... is a good thing in and of itself.

But even better things are happening in this country!

Recently, a chaplain from an allied nation stopped by and he was excited to inform us that out at the remote outpost at which he serves, he has led two Afghani nationals to faith in Christ. The first is a local national employed on the camp... and at grave danger to himself this man shared his new found faith with his brother, and together the two of them travelled several miles to meet with this chaplain so that he could share the Gospel with him as well. Slowly, but surely, Christ's promise is kept even in places like Afghanistan: His Kingdom is being built, and all the powers of hell cannot stop it!

My Korean congregation will be departing for home in a couple weeks, and it is still up in the air whether or not the incoming bunch will need my services. But I pray that the folks going home would be strong in the Lord, holding fast to the faith once delivered to the saints as they reenter a culture every bit as pluralistic as America.

I realize that it has been a while since I posted pictures. I will try to remedy that in the next coming weeks.

As always, please pray for my family. And please pray for me - not so much for my safety as for my faithfulness.

Until later,

Ben

Can we know if someone is saved?

Wed, 07 Mar 2007 10:59:52 GMT

In a recent email, someone asked me the following question(s):

I know that the Bible says that God will not be mocked... but what about someone who leads one type of life (that is not God pleasing at all) and then gets up in front of the church on Sunday morning to lead worship and talk about how great it is to be in the house of the Lord and such? I'm trying to figure out is if that person is truly saved, and just living in sin, or if that person is not truly saved, and just living a lie. What I am concerned about, is that if this person is truly saved, then this person is living a life outside of church that mocks God. How long will God allow such a person to do that, since God’s word says that God will not be mocked? I have read/heard many speak on the idea that God will take out a person (end the person’s life) who is mocking Him... Does this question make sense?

Having received permission from this person, I will address this issue publicly because it touches on some issues that I’ve heard repeated time and time again over the years. What follows is my response:

Dear ___________,

I’m saddened to know that a situation relatively common to man has manifested itself in your family’s life. To be uncertain about the eternal destiny of a loved one is a terribly gut wrenching experience. Please know that my prayers are with, first of all, your loved one, that your loved one would be granted faith and repentance by the Holy Spirit. Second, I pray that God would give you great faith and peace, knowing that God’s purpose WILL be accomplished and that God’s will is perfect... even when we don’t feel like it is. I know how difficult it can be for our souls to be comforted by the knowledge of God’s goodness when our hearts are screaming “WHY?!” So I will pray for faith and peace to this end. Third, I pray that you – and other Christians in your family – would be both bold and consistent in proclaiming the glorious Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ to this loved one.

Your question can be addressed from a number of perspectives. I hope to broaden your concern to the matter of hypocrisy, which is the basic sin which results in the “two-facedness” of your loved one. When I put it in that light, hopefully some things will fall into place.

I want to address your final question first: Contrary to the scare-tactic based moralistic preaching of some (“You’d better be good… or God might kill you!”), in Scripture God has NOT promised or threatened to kill people who “mock him.” In fact, it is one of the recurring complaints of the Psalmist, and one of the mysteries of life to the Teacher in the book of Ecclesiastes, that the wicked often live long, happy, successful lives on the earth while it is the righteous who often do not!

Yet in spite of our human experience, we are told – as you’ve pointed out – that God will not be mocked. But God IS (apparently) mocked! Look at people like Larry Flynt of Hustler fame… this man produces porn yet claims to be a Christian. If this isn’t a perfect example of the type of thing to which you refer, I don’t know what is… but look at him: he’s going on 65 years of life, he’s insanely rich… So what about God’s promissory warning that He cannot be mocked? I believe the passage in which this warning is placed calls us to have an eschatologically oriented perspective. Let’s look at the passage in its entirety.

Gal 6:7-10 (ESV)

7Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 9And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. 10So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

I don’t want to get technical so I won’t get into the Greek tenses involved that shed light on the meaning because I think the bottom line can be observed in the English translation. Notice verse 8 – notice that sowing to the flesh will ultimately reap corruption, and that this stands in contrast with the one who sows to the spirit and reaps “eternal life.” For the contrast to hold, the corruption that is reaped by the one who sows to the flesh must be of the same – eternal – magnitude as the life which is reaped by the one who sows to the Spirit. This, plus the fact that the Bible speaks of ONE event at which everyone will receive their just desserts… namely, at the judgment to occur at the return of Christ… strongly suggest that what Paul is saying here is: “Look, people may think that they’re getting away with something right here, right now… but they aren’t. The day is coming when each person WILL reap what he has sown. The day is coming when, for those who’ve been congratulating themselves thinking that they’ve been able to get away with wickedness on the sly, for them… well, the joke’s going to be on them. ” (Ok, that was a very loose paraphrase. But I hope you get the point.) So, far from saying that God is going to kill you for making a mockery of Him, this verse is saying that at the return of Christ you’re going to get your just desserts: so Christian, continue to do good because it is not going unnoticed… hypocrite, you aren’t going to get away with anything… so repent while you still have the chance.

You also ask (essentially) if we can tell if this person is saved or not based upon his/her gross hypocrisy.

Unfortunately we cannot know with absolute certainty. However, we are told that we will be judged by our fruit… and when it comes to relating to another person we simply cannot practically take an agnostic approach. We either deal with the person as a sinning brother, or as someone who is lost.

Some would say that because this person professes faith in Christ, that settles it! We must consider him/her to be saved because of that profession. Concerning this person’s hypocrisy, these same people would point out that to some extent we are all guilty of hypocrisy… not to mention that sin has a presence in all of us.

However, we should remember that Jesus warns his followers that not everyone who says “Lord, Lord, will be saved.” Additionally, both the apostle Paul and the apostle John caution us to test ourselves to see if we are really in the Faith… because it is possible that we can be self deceived. In other words: it is possible to deceive ourselves into thinking that we are saved, when in reality we are not. In one such “litmus test,” the apostle John advises us that no one born of God continues to live a life given over, or characterized by sin. We are reminded in Scripture that, “we all stumble in many ways.” Yet the life of someone born again and indwelt by the Holy Spirit is characterized by a progression towards holiness. This is called “sanctification.”

It has been wisely said that sanctification is less about how much we do or do not sin than it is about our desires and attitudes towards sin. I believe this to be a fairly accurate summary of what the Bible teaches.

The biggest question is not “do this person’s acts of sin prove him to be unregenerate,” because it is impossible for us to “prove” the point given that sin will continue to be present in all of us, and the Holy Spirit sanctifies us along a “personalized” time table. However, the question of ongoing sin is relevant when we consider someone who is habitually “given over” to a particular sin. Does this person love his/her sin so much that it is a part of his/her identity?

While the question of habitual sin is helpful because it serves as an indicator, I believe that it is MOST appropriate to ask the following types of questions:

“Is this person broken and repentant concerning his/her sin… once he/she is made aware that the particular action is sinful?”

“Does this person in any way demonstrate this his/her desire is to live a life of holiness in response to God’s grace?”

“Does this person callously believe nothing is seriously wrong with his/her actions?”

My suggestion to you is that if this person is callous and unrepentant, you should warn him/her because his/her heart attitude is more inline with a person enslaved to the flesh than a person who is born of God. If the person is generally contrite and broken, warn them against this sin and seek to build up your brother/sister.

Of course, either way, you should bring the matter to the church. By this person’s public role in the life of the church, his/her hypocritical actions will inevitably bring scandal and disrepute upon the congregation and upon the name of Christ. The task of executing discipline has been entrusted to the church – vested in the officers of the church – in order to promote the peace and purity of the body of Christ. Please allow Christ’s appointed means to work towards Christ’s glory and the good of your loved one’s soul.

I hope this helps.

Until later,

Ben

February 27, 2007

Sat, 03 Mar 2007 05:12:23 GMT

As you probably know, this past Tuesday we experienced a walk-up suicide bomber at our main personnel entry point. Fortunately, our guys were doing their jobs, and the guy was stopped before he could actually enter the control point. He spooked and detonated himself, killing 1 American soldier, 1 American civilian, 1 Korean soldier, and 15 Afghani locals. Additionally, 32 Afghanis were injured in the blast – one, a boy of 10 years – just yesterday passed away.

I was about a half mile away when it happened. I had just finished paying for another month of internet in my room, and I was walking back to my office, when I heard a sort of muffled far away sounding “boom.” I didn’t think anything of it because dogs routinely walk into a minefield and get blown up, and ordnance disposal frequently does detonations to destroy weapon caches that were discovered. About a minute later the loud speaker came on advising us that the base was under direct attack. I started running to my battalion area and when I came into sight, my commander told me about the incident. At the time, however, we didn’t know the casualty breakdown… we only knew that 1) there were “several dead” and “countless wounded” and 2) that it happened in our area of operations.

I thought that we’d just lost half our guys who work out there.

I asked my commander for permission to go out to the site, but was told that I couldn’t go until they’d established security. So instead I ran over to the hospital to assist with ministry to the wounded. I was surprised that there were no Americans. Relief set in when one of the medics told me, as he was unloading a litter from the back of his ambulance, that as far as he could tell there were no Americans wounded. I entered the hospital and found several of the victims to be kids. Many appeared to be about 8 -12 years old. More than being sad, I was infuriated.

Within 2 or 3 minutes of my arrival, the hospital commander told another chaplain and me to go ahead and leave to return to our unit because the hospital chaplain had things under control.

I returned to my unit and the commander gave me permission to enter an armored vehicle to get to the site. When I arrived at the gate… it was a scene from hell. Bodies – and body parts – were everywhere. Blood was on everything. They had not yet moved the bodies of the Americans and the Korean. To get to the other side of the blast site – to where the American troopers were pulling security – I had to walk through a very large puddle of blood. I don’t believe I will ever forget that sight or that smell.

I made it to the soldiers and I was so proud of them. Many not much more than a year out of high school, and here they were... some had tears in their eyes… yet they were still doing their jobs like professionals. You should be so very very proud of them.

The Lord was gracious to me and He enabled me to walk amidst bodies blown asunder, vast amounts of blood, pieces of flesh, and organ matter, to minister to every American out there. Those who knew the American soldier were understandably the most upset. I am most proud of them for demonstrating the professionalism and restraint to not take out their anger on the Afghanis they were then securing.

At the end, after I had left the blast zone, I had to take a stick to get a piece of flesh out of my boot treads. I have since thrown those boots away because the blood had come up over my sole and had stained the leather. I was not about to wear blood stained boots for 10 more months.

In the aftermath, I’ve done the memorial service for the Korean soldier – who was a member of my congregation – the ceremony for the same soldier’s body as it was loaded on the plane to be returned to the family, several critical incident stress debriefs, countless one-on-one counseling sessions… and in every case the Lord has given me the words to say to help them make sense of the situation and to point them to the Cross.

It was a terrible experience, but this – as all things – was not unknown to God. Though we don’t know how, somehow this event contributes to the unfolding of God’s plan for this world… and He will be glorified through it.

Until later,

Ben

Mishap at the Korean chow hall

Sat, 24 Feb 2007 09:17:34 GMT

Today I went over to the Korean dining facility (DFAC) for lunch. After I got my food - a small pile of kimchi, some dried seaweed, a nice pile of rice, some spicy stuff (that I'll explain in a moment) and a big bowl of what was essentially fancy ramen noodles. (Imagine ramen with green onions, mushrooms, lots of spice.. a few other plant objects... yummy!)

Anyway, I sat down at my table - I chose a spot that had me surrounded by Korean soldiers. I thought I pushed my tray all the way onto the table... well, I bowed my head to pray and I simultaneously put my hands on the edge of my tray nearest my belly. The weight of my hands caused my entire tray to spill over onto my shirt and into my lap. The Koreans around me jumped up, making quite a commotion in their native tongue. They gestured for me to stand up and get the solids off my uniform - I think I know why - the red spicy sauce is sure to stain that uniform. Anyway, it was quite embarrasing. Then, after I cleaned up the area, I got another tray and ate. When I was finished, I had to walk about a quarter mile to my room to change. A surprising number of people saw me, including my XO (my immediate boss)... and they all got a chuckle at my expense.

About the "spicy stuff" I popped some of it into my mouth and immediately I tasted strong fish taste... but it was chewy... very chewy. But the spice made it quite hot in my mouth, so I swallowed it before I think it was really done being chewed... I then took a closer look at the pieces of solids... they had done a surprisingly good job of cutting it into small pieces... but upon closer inspection I noticed little suckers on the pieces. I then turned to an English speaking Korean and I asked him what it was... octopus. Yummy.

Until later,

Ben

Bagram Update #5

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 11:48:30 GMT

The past couple weeks have been anything but boring. As usual, I've been busy with mandatory meetings and briefings - though my briefing schedule was recently lightened up when the daily briefs were changed to three times per week. The counseling load has continued to mount... this past Monday I counseled a total of 6 people, which is a personal record for the number of people I've counseled in a single day.

We've had some unfortunate events: one soldier committed suicide, a helicopter crash killed 8 folks, numerous problems back in the States (including the wife of a soldier being raped) resulting in folks having to fly back home... all these things have kept the stark reality of the need for the Gospel in the forefront of my mind.

As usual, going out to visit my troopers is one of the highlights of my weekly schedule. Among the guards morale was high this week upon receiving news that they would be switching from 12 to 8 hour shifts.

Last Sunday I was supposed to fly out on a mission to visit troops at other bases and conduct religious services for them... but my trip was cancelled due to inclement weather. The event has been rescheduled for some time in the near future. Though I can't give dates and times on this site, I would nonetheless appreciate your prayers.

The highlight of this week was getting word that my wife is pregnant with a BOY! Now I'll have 3 boys to carry on my name for another generation! I'm pretty excited about that. :)

Until later,

Ben

Something Wicked This Way Comes: The Perniciousness of "Adult Material"

Tue, 13 Feb 2007 09:28:11 GMT

I probably should have said something about this subject earlier. However, I’ve been quite busy and the issue wasn’t on the forefront of my mind. But a recent counseling session served to remind me of the destructiveness of pornography. And it needs to be addressed.

The production and distribution of porn has gone through the roof in recent years. Those inside the walls of the church have not been able to escape its onslaught. Now, statistically speaking, approximately 20% of the women in Christian churches view porn on a regular basis. For men the percentage is horrifyingly high: approximately 50% of all men who call themselves "Christian" regularly view pornography. I don't want to bog this entry down with horrifying statistics, but if you're interested just do a Google search on the subject. The results may astonish you. This state of affairs is unacceptable. It is unacceptable that members of Christ’s visible body should present a veneer of holiness but in the quiet of their homes engage in behavior that fundamentally undermines the relationships between God and man, Christ and Church.

There are many reasons why porn is destructive, but ultimately one reason why it is wrong: God forbids it. We’ll come back to that… Unfortunately, in our day and age people are more concerned with the destructive aspect because that is where the consequences are acutely felt in the here and now. We don’t get all worked up about offending God, because we presume upon His forgiveness. We’re more worried about whether or not it’ll affect me temporally – as if violating God’s law has no long term consequences! We are fundamentally "person" centered, even in our understanding of sin. In fact, the Barna Research Group tells us that only 17% of "evangelical Christians" define sin as primarily an offense against God.

Why do people view porn? Because they love the darkness. To sinful beings, sin is fun. Fallen humanity’s one constant pursuit and passion is the suppression, rejection, and perversion of God’s will so as to attempt to live autonomously – “as gods”, as if we can ever escape our knowledge of, or dependence upon, God.

Pornography represents such an attempt for many reasons. Some are:

1. Pornography seeks to make perversion and deviancy appear normal. I do not here refer to the act of filming sex, per se, but to the specific type of sexual activities depicted by porn. Porn is a medium for altering perceptions about what constitutes legitimate sexual behavior. The axiom “A picture is worth a thousand words” is repeated because in an empirical age, “seeing is believing.” People come to accept as normal that which they see. This is why the local Afghani workers think that in America we’re all rich and drive fancy cars: that is what they see in movies. One expressed surprise when I told him that movies are not an accurate depiction of reality. So powerful is visual representation in altering our perceptions that Communist governments made sure that a television was in every house: if you control what people see, you control what they think. Porn conditions us to think that certain deviant practices are acceptable. This is unacceptable because our attitudes are only rightly formed by the Word of God.

2. Porn conditions us to be selfish lovers. This is one of the more immediately destructive tendencies of this genre of film. Everything about porn, from the camera angles, to the music, to the rhythm of the actors – EVERYTHING – is designed to lead towards self-gratification without any particular concern for the pleasure of the partner. It is all about getting and never about giving. I’ve seen these effects manifested as guys in the barracks would seek to “act like” their favorite porn star. Porn is a conduit for cheap thrills and quick release. If you let porn influence you then you will become a selfish, sorry lover. And I mean that: you will be a sorry lover. Your main concern in the bedroom will be the gratification of yourself. You may be willing to try the same freakish antics necessarily employed by porn producers in order to keep things from getting boring, and you may even confuse these antics with being exciting. But it is all a smoke screen: those things are done because the partners do not have the innate concern or desire to please each other. They just want to get, and if that involves some freakish act, so be it.

3. Porn leads us to believe that our sexuality belongs to ourselves, and that expressing it is a right. We think that the physical world exists for its own sake. But this is simply not true. The physical world is real and important, but there is a lot of typology and symbology at play in our world to point us to the things of God. Sex is one such thing. God gave us sex to depict the kind of closeness and compatibility that should exist between God and man, Christ and church, with both relationships existing in and by covenantal union. Thus, sex is only permissible within the covenantal relationship of marriage, which is itself a picture of God’s relationship with his people. Sex is like a living parable: when we engage in sex within a different context, we are creating a picture or image that stands in opposition to the one instituted by God. In short, when we engage in sex outside the covenantal relationship of marriage, we present a picture of a torn humanity seeking to replace closeness with God with the creativity of his own mind. This is why the language of Romans 1:24-26 is so shocking in the Greek: Paul is essentially saying that homosexuality is, itself, a judgment from God to depict in physical terms the spiritual counterfeit of mankind’s idolatry. But unnatural heterosexual relationships are just as vile in their depiction of man’s rebellion and defection from a right Creator/creature relationship with God. Contrary to the assumptions on which porn operates, sitting alone in one’s room attempting sexual self-gratification is not a legitimate venue for sexual expression because it does not convey the covenantal love and faithfulness of God towards his people. This is important because many of the folks who view porn would “never” (so they say) cheat on their spouse physically. But they think that indulging in self-gratification is permissible because, after all, they are not with another person… so (the argument goes) they are not being unfaithful. Hogwash! You are lusting after another woman which, according to Jesus is of the same essence as adultery. You who think that you’re being faithful even as you seek sexual arousal and gratification from thoughts or images of another woman: Jesus is saying that YOU are a faithless covenant breaker just as is the one who seeks such gratification with the woman herself. Your sexuality belongs to your wife. And only your wife. Your wife’s sexuality belongs to you. And only to you. You are not the legitimate master of your own sexuality... your spouse is! This informs the basis of Paul’s command that we not deny our spouse our bodies as well as the Old Testament injunction that a husband had a sexual obligation to his wife. Your body is not your own and you are not permitted to express sexuality in any context other than with your spouse because any other expression constitutes a depiction of idolatry, which is in fact an act of idolatry.

4. Porn encourages us to give in to our base passions. People like sex. I know I do! People like feeling the sensation of orgasm. I know I do! But the problem arises when they give in to these desires and seek to live them out like mindless beasts. Beasts follow their instincts, hormones, appetites, etc… without any rational thought or self restraint. This is why during the rut (mating season) deer are killed along the road with much greater frequency: they’re so worried about sowing their oats that they cast off the caution which normally governs their actions. Acting like animals is BAD because we are NOT animals. We were created in God’s image to govern this world. One of the chief tools God has given us by which we carry out our task is our MIND. It is our mind, not physical strength, agility, or prowess, which enables us to create things to survive and thrive. What porn does is make sexual gratification easy to attain. And mindless beasts are ensnared because they just want what comes easy. It conditions you to adopt a mindset of instant gratification and this spills over into other facets of life. You end up simply pursuing your own interests, your own good, because you’ve been conditioned to live like an animal. It happens all the time. People routinely lose their family because they get “addicted” to porn and this attitude of easy self-gratification spills over and they start using people for that end, stop serving others, etc… and pretty soon, they’ve pushed everyone away. Live like an animal and you’re good for little else than to be hunted and killed like one. You are not an animal, you’re a person. Be conformed to the will of God and bring your physical passions under control.

5. Porn entices us to seek to escape from reality. The world of porn is pretend. We are invited to enter this fantasy world, if only for just a few minutes, to have a little fun and feel the titillating excitement of sex… all within the comfort of our own home. “Never mind your spouse,” it says, “you aren’t hurting her… and besides, these ladies look so good!” “When things get rough, come enjoy yourself… don’t worry about working through your problems… here… let me offer you a little diversion.” “Come here, good sir… your wife is a dud. She isn’t meeting your needs and she won’t change… so don’t mind her… just come to me and I’ll show you what you need…” Such are the alluring words of porn to the undiscerning. And once we give in, once we begin to follow our base passions and begin to think that we are the masters of our own sexuality, our problems mount and we continue to seek the escape. We eventually become trapped as we allow the sexual gratification we get from porn to become our anesthesia to help us avoid the stress and pain of our miserable existence. But reality doesn’t stop just because we try to escape it. Your problems will mount, your relationships will not heal themselves… you will eventually plunge headlong into the destruction that has caught hundreds of thousands of surprised men off guard. And you will weep for a chance to redo your life, but another chance won’t come. The escape that porn offers is a deadly lie. Eventually her warm soft embrace will become a stranglehold. Flee it at all cost!

These five reasons alone should compel us to denounce porn in every possible venue – especially in our churches. But the chief reason porn must be repudiated, and why Christians must be warned, is because pornography is a violation of God’s holy law. By viewing porn we violate the 7^th Commandment, “Do not commit adultery” (because as we have seen, Jesus declares that the 7^th Commandment rightly includes the internal acts of lusting as part and parcel of the physical act). Additionally, we violate the 10^th Commandment in that we express dissatisfaction with our own life and circumstances while wishing to have another wife, life, or circumstance…

Please do not presume upon the mercy of God. Do you really think that the Judge of the world is fooled when you say with your lips “Lord, I love you” but then willfully and unrepentantly continue to live as a pagan? Do you really think that you can turn God’s grace into license with impunity? God knows the difference between us saying “Please forgive me” and us meaning “Please forgive me.” The New Testament is replete with warnings to Christians – to members of the New Testament Church – of the judgment that will await them if they fall away. We are to pursue the holiness without which no one will see God. We are reminded of the horrible judgment that befell the Israelites after experiencing salvation from Egypt… We are warned of the wrath to be endured by the one who has “trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace.” After declaring the words of God that “Vengeance is mine,” the writer to the Hebrews declares: “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

I beg you: for the good of your family… for the good of your life… for the good of your soul... repent of your desire for porn, flee it, turn to the cross and seek forgiveness. Trust in Christ alone for your standing before God, knowing that the Spirit we are given will change our desires and behavior to bring us into an ever increasing conformity with God’s will. God is good. He will do it.

Until later,

Ben

Bagram Update #4

Sat, 10 Feb 2007 17:24:37 GMT

Getting in a groove. That has been the emphasis this week: Getting into a sustainable "battle rhythm " - or routine - for the long haul. The last of the previous rotation's chaplains have left and it is now us, the new guard, running the show. To operate the Enduring Faith Chapel, we have two chaplains in the building. My peer handles the administrative stuff, I handle the briefings, and we share the counseling load - though he does take a slightly larger portion since I also have a battalion that has swelled to over 1500 people with all the National Guard attachments we've managed to pick up along the way.

My books and - most importantly - my coffee brewing equipment arrived safe and sound. What a happy day! I made a command decision and I cleared my schedule of all my other obligations in order to get my office "set up" with all my goodies... hey, my morale is just as important as everyone else's! My office is now a home away from home. I just need some pics of family and friends - so please send them! ;) I share my coffee with my peer (sorry, I'm going to withhold his name for his personal privacy) and the Catholic priest who stops by from time to time. They are both very impressed with what good beans, good water, good equipment, and good proportions can do for a cup of Java.

I continue to enjoy getting out with the troops. I can't adequately express how enjoyable - or natural - it is. I can only think of a handful of things that are more fun...

Today I went out to every last one of the many guard towers that are on the perimeter. I didn't take my camera, but I will not forget it the next time I go out: many of these towers are within a stone's throw of the village (literally) and others are right out amidst the minefields. What is interesting is that though the locals don't have the technology to safely remove the many landmines, they DO have the wherewithall to locate and mark them. They've actually color-coded the mines according to their type. So out in the field you see white markers identifying anti-personnel mines, blue markers for mines large enough to take out an unarmored vehicle, and red for anti-tank mines. It was very freaky to look out at this vast plain peppered with these markers.

One of the interesting things that happened today is that I was accompanied by an Afghani interpreter. He resides in Kabul and makes the hour and a half long drive each day. I asked if it is dangerous for him to do so and he said that it is, but that being a part of reshaping his country is worth the risk... that plus the salary we pay him is insanely large for this place. I am not supposed to proselytize the locals... but nothing says I can't talk about my faith with Americans while in the presence of the interpreter. So that is what I did. As we were driving back in he spoke up and told me that he had never heard of Christianity and Christian belief as I had been explaining it. He sounded interested at the prospect of a faith whose implications touch upon all of reality. Maybe, just maybe I'll get the chance to speak in his presence again!

The counseling load has continued to increase - slowly but surely - as the weeks have gone by. My "tell-it-like-it-is" approach, which would probably offend many in the local church who want to be coddled, speaks clearly with the troopers. I'm glad for a venue in which my personality, counseling theology and methodology connects.

Tomorrow I'm going to begin a short series on the book of Jude in my Korean service. Please pray that this series would be challenging and edifying to these Korean brothers. They are very serious about their faith and they have a missionary fervor that makes anything I ever saw drummed up at Moody or Southern pale in comparison.

Well, it was one month ago that I kissed my family good bye. One down... Eleven to go.

Until later,

Ben