This morning's sermon at Church was on Psalm 139:1-10. It was an excellent service & I encourage you to read the scripture again or perhaps for the first time. Verse 1 alone, "Oh Lord, you have searched me and you know me", is enough to both scare me and fill me with joy at the same time. It scares me because with God there are no secrets & my sin cannot be hidden. It fills me with joy because I know I can never be the man I should be, but that's OK because Jesus Christ gave himself for me so I wouldn't have to be. I am redeemed!
One other observation I want to share with you from this mornings service. Men out numbered the women two to one. Men with battle hardened faces, some with wives and children and many on their own or with other Godly men. What significance does this hold? Perhaps it is but a small sign that our men, God's men, are ready to fulfill their roles as the spiritual leaders of their families, Churches & communities. Not weak men, but men of great courage, strength & power. I was moved by their presence.
Thank you Lord for all You do & all You are. God bless our military & God bless our Country.
Isaiah 6:8 "Here am I. Send me!"
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Roll Tide Roll!
Wow! I have been waiting on this day for the last year with great anticipation. For those of you who know me you know I am a Crimson Tide man through & through. While I may pull for the USC Gamecocks (when they are not playing the Tide), the Crimson Tide has and always will be my team. You college football fans can understand my excitement with Alabama's 34-10 victory over the #9 Clemson Tigers & USC's in State rival. Roooooll Tide!
I know it may seem trivial to most, but my biggest disappointment with my impending deployment overseas is that it takes place during the heart of the college football season. Please pray they play a lot of Alabama games on the Armed Forces Network.
I know most of you would rather here about my military experiences, but please indulge me the occasional totally unrelated blog.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
1-63 CAB Batallion Ball
Yesterday I attended my first military ball. It was amazing with all the pomp & circumstance our military hero's deserve. The Battalion Commander, LTC Bradford & CSM Lehr were there in their formal dress blues with all the ribbons & medals earned the hard way. They stood for the first hour or so greeting the hundreds of military men & women & their spouses who came for this memorable formal occasion. As things got kicked off they honored those before them & those present with a time honored military tradition of mixing a brew of different types of alcohol poured in a large agricultural tub by each of the Company Commanders and their First Sergeants. It begins with a punch beverage but is quickly transformed in to mixture of wine, brandy, whiskey, beer, rum & vodka. The CSM has the duty of ensuring the brew fit for consumption. Before acknowledging that it was fit for consumption CSM Lehr requested permission to add his own special ingredient. With permission being granted he pulled out an old holey military sock and mixed it in. Again he tasted to ensure it was fit to drink. When it was complete the junior enlisted soldier at each table was given the duty of rushing to the tub and filling a pitcher for those at their table.
The guest speaker for the event was Lt. General Caldwell who's father was the Commanding General of Fort Jackson, SC when my family arrived there in 1973. A building on Fort Jackson is named after his grandfather. As you can tell General Caldwell has quite a family history of distinguished military service. During a conversation with the General he gave me a coin. Military coins representing your command are also a time honored tradition and getting them is considered an honor.
At the conclusion of the of the formal event and dinner a DJ played while the soldiers and their significant others danced throughout the rest of the evening.
Not being a drinker I am not accustomed to being around all the alcohol & those liberally partaking in it. However, even in this environment I couldn't help but admire the men & women who were being honored at this ball. The last formal event prior to being separated from their loved ones & deployed to a war many of there own politicians don't support despite an overwhelming vote by congress to send them in the first place. Yet their commitment does not waver. The motto of the Big Red One is "No mission to tough, no sacrifice to great, danger forward, mission first".
Continue to pray for these young soldiers and the loved ones they leave behind. We may never be able to repay them for what they do, but we can make sure we honor them with our support, respect, love & prayers.
God bless our military & God bless America!
The guest speaker for the event was Lt. General Caldwell who's father was the Commanding General of Fort Jackson, SC when my family arrived there in 1973. A building on Fort Jackson is named after his grandfather. As you can tell General Caldwell has quite a family history of distinguished military service. During a conversation with the General he gave me a coin. Military coins representing your command are also a time honored tradition and getting them is considered an honor.
At the conclusion of the of the formal event and dinner a DJ played while the soldiers and their significant others danced throughout the rest of the evening.
Not being a drinker I am not accustomed to being around all the alcohol & those liberally partaking in it. However, even in this environment I couldn't help but admire the men & women who were being honored at this ball. The last formal event prior to being separated from their loved ones & deployed to a war many of there own politicians don't support despite an overwhelming vote by congress to send them in the first place. Yet their commitment does not waver. The motto of the Big Red One is "No mission to tough, no sacrifice to great, danger forward, mission first".
Continue to pray for these young soldiers and the loved ones they leave behind. We may never be able to repay them for what they do, but we can make sure we honor them with our support, respect, love & prayers.
God bless our military & God bless America!
Monday, August 18, 2008
Half Century Mark
Yesterday I celebrated my 50th birthday here at Fort Riley, Kansas. I missed my wife & kids very much, as always, & longed to be with them. I am thankful, however, that I have a friend here and I was able to enjoy a wonderful day. It started with Church, then a round of golf, and then a cook out. It ended with me seeing & speaking to my family thanks to Skype (web cam). While it was not as nice as being able to hug them it certainly was better than nothing. Thank God for technology.
Yesterday's sermon was from Acts 3:1-10. It was delivered beautifully by the Division Chaplain who was obviously anointed to deliver this particular message. The scripture tells of the crippled man who was placed at the temple gates, called Beautiful, where he was carried everyday in order to beg for money. When the man sees Peter & John coming he ask them for money. Peter looks at the man dead in the eye and says "look at us" as to say "do we look like we have money". I love what Peter then offers the man. "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk."
Lately my biggest prayer has been that God would fill me overflowing with His Holy Spirit and to give me His authority to minister to His people. This sermon answered a question that often nags at me & sometimes keeps me from being who God wants me to be. What do I have to offer? I have little money, little talent, and I am getting old, or older. What do I have of value that I can pass on? We, Christians, have the most valuable gift of all & one we received free of charge. We have the Holy Spirit residing in us and the ability to share Him with others.
I am working with a bunch of young men who don't have much in terms of material wealth, but what they have, their very lives, they are willing to risk for their country & you. I miss my family very much, but I have to remind myself that there are young Sergeants here who have deployed several times, each time leaving their family for you, me and even those who don't support what they do. Perhaps we can share God's gift with them.
I am thankful for these young American heroes and grateful for a home church that is willing to support these young men in prayer while they are deployed. Nags Head Church, led by Pastor Rick Lawrenson, will be teaming up with the Big Red One, 1st Battalion, 63rd CAB in our mission to free Iraq & her citizens from the fear of terrorism.
Thank you Nags Head Church family. I know I didn't speak much of my birthday, but as we like to say "it's not about me". Besides, the most important birthday is our spiritual birthday which I share with Nancy, April 1993. Evan accepted Christ & was born again in 2002 & Emily in June of this year. I rejoice in the knowledge that my family is heaven bound. We are not perfect and will never be, but we have been redeemed by the perfect Lamb, my Lord & Savior Jesus Christ.
Because of what He did, my day was blessed.
Yesterday's sermon was from Acts 3:1-10. It was delivered beautifully by the Division Chaplain who was obviously anointed to deliver this particular message. The scripture tells of the crippled man who was placed at the temple gates, called Beautiful, where he was carried everyday in order to beg for money. When the man sees Peter & John coming he ask them for money. Peter looks at the man dead in the eye and says "look at us" as to say "do we look like we have money". I love what Peter then offers the man. "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk."
Lately my biggest prayer has been that God would fill me overflowing with His Holy Spirit and to give me His authority to minister to His people. This sermon answered a question that often nags at me & sometimes keeps me from being who God wants me to be. What do I have to offer? I have little money, little talent, and I am getting old, or older. What do I have of value that I can pass on? We, Christians, have the most valuable gift of all & one we received free of charge. We have the Holy Spirit residing in us and the ability to share Him with others.
I am working with a bunch of young men who don't have much in terms of material wealth, but what they have, their very lives, they are willing to risk for their country & you. I miss my family very much, but I have to remind myself that there are young Sergeants here who have deployed several times, each time leaving their family for you, me and even those who don't support what they do. Perhaps we can share God's gift with them.
I am thankful for these young American heroes and grateful for a home church that is willing to support these young men in prayer while they are deployed. Nags Head Church, led by Pastor Rick Lawrenson, will be teaming up with the Big Red One, 1st Battalion, 63rd CAB in our mission to free Iraq & her citizens from the fear of terrorism.
Thank you Nags Head Church family. I know I didn't speak much of my birthday, but as we like to say "it's not about me". Besides, the most important birthday is our spiritual birthday which I share with Nancy, April 1993. Evan accepted Christ & was born again in 2002 & Emily in June of this year. I rejoice in the knowledge that my family is heaven bound. We are not perfect and will never be, but we have been redeemed by the perfect Lamb, my Lord & Savior Jesus Christ.
Because of what He did, my day was blessed.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Heros at Home
I just finished watching all the different slide shows of this year's "Impact Outerbanks" and it touched me, made me miss all of the youth (especially two in particular), and at the same time made me swell with pride because of the outstanding things our young people are doing under the guidance of some Godly adult leadership.
It reminded me that being a hero does not just mean that you are willing to sacrifice your lives for freedom, but it also can refer to simple acts of love & kindness that each of us are capable of showing others. Being a hero does, however, require some form of sacrifice. Thanks to all the adult leaders, and youth who sacrificed their summer time to impact others for Christ. To me you represent the heros at home by your efforts to save the spiritual lives of others.
Hello to all the FCA leaders at First Flight Middle & High School! Miss you all and hope to see you soon.
In Christ we are one,
Dale
It reminded me that being a hero does not just mean that you are willing to sacrifice your lives for freedom, but it also can refer to simple acts of love & kindness that each of us are capable of showing others. Being a hero does, however, require some form of sacrifice. Thanks to all the adult leaders, and youth who sacrificed their summer time to impact others for Christ. To me you represent the heros at home by your efforts to save the spiritual lives of others.
Hello to all the FCA leaders at First Flight Middle & High School! Miss you all and hope to see you soon.
In Christ we are one,
Dale
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Living The Dream
Yesterday I had the opportunity to train on the BATS/HIIDE. This equipment takes bio-metric measurements and is responsible for the capture of many wanted terrorists. In short you can take a picture of someones iris, take a facial picture, and scan their fingerprints all in one unit that then uploads the information in to a large database. Amazing technology, but even more amazing are the young warriors using the equipment.
A couple of weeks ago I was put through my toughest physical challenge to date. I participated in a tactical M-4 course in which I had to run 75 yards in full gear (approx. 40lbs.) carrying a 5 gallon water container in each hand. I have to say for a guy who turns 50 this coming Sunday I was impressed with myself. I not only kept up with the young Sgt running the course with me, but I actually hit some of my targets while huffing and puffing. The course included 4 different shooting positions all of which were about 25 yards apart and required you to run for cover. I made it! However, my pride was short lived when I realized that to be one of the guys that meant I had to lug the water containers back to the starting position for the next shooters. I struggled, but I was determined to finish the entire process. One of the Sgt's running the course noticed my struggles and took one of the containers from me. I accepted his help with a great deal of humility, but I was more determined to at least get the last container back on my own, which I did. However, before I made it all the way back the young Sgt I ran the course with had returned his two containers and came back to help me. I refused, but the whole process spoke to me about the type of young men (& women) we have serving our Country.
Part of the warriors creed is to never leave a soldier behind. What I have come to realize is these guys don't just read the creed, learn the creed, know the creed, they live it! When it comes to purpose & conviction, these guys get it.
Paul got it too. After being blinded in his encounter with Jesus on the Road to Damascus, Paul discovered his purpose. He received clear vision. He was convicted by the Holy Spirit and this conviction directed the rest of his life. Very much like our young warriors, who face great danger with purpose & conviction, Paul went about his purpose with out regard to the pain or chains he would encounter on more than one occasion.
What is your purpose? What are your convictions? Pray that God will give you clear vision to see the purpose He has given you and the conviction to live that purpose.
A couple of weeks ago I was put through my toughest physical challenge to date. I participated in a tactical M-4 course in which I had to run 75 yards in full gear (approx. 40lbs.) carrying a 5 gallon water container in each hand. I have to say for a guy who turns 50 this coming Sunday I was impressed with myself. I not only kept up with the young Sgt running the course with me, but I actually hit some of my targets while huffing and puffing. The course included 4 different shooting positions all of which were about 25 yards apart and required you to run for cover. I made it! However, my pride was short lived when I realized that to be one of the guys that meant I had to lug the water containers back to the starting position for the next shooters. I struggled, but I was determined to finish the entire process. One of the Sgt's running the course noticed my struggles and took one of the containers from me. I accepted his help with a great deal of humility, but I was more determined to at least get the last container back on my own, which I did. However, before I made it all the way back the young Sgt I ran the course with had returned his two containers and came back to help me. I refused, but the whole process spoke to me about the type of young men (& women) we have serving our Country.
Part of the warriors creed is to never leave a soldier behind. What I have come to realize is these guys don't just read the creed, learn the creed, know the creed, they live it! When it comes to purpose & conviction, these guys get it.
Paul got it too. After being blinded in his encounter with Jesus on the Road to Damascus, Paul discovered his purpose. He received clear vision. He was convicted by the Holy Spirit and this conviction directed the rest of his life. Very much like our young warriors, who face great danger with purpose & conviction, Paul went about his purpose with out regard to the pain or chains he would encounter on more than one occasion.
What is your purpose? What are your convictions? Pray that God will give you clear vision to see the purpose He has given you and the conviction to live that purpose.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
I'm In the Army Now!
Wow! Who would have thought that after nearly 30 years of law enforcement I would find myself in the Army? To tell you the truth I am not in the Army, but I am embedded with the 1/63 CAB, 2 HBCT, 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley, Kansas. Either way, I can't believe that God has called me, at this age, to go into a combat zone with a bunch of young warriors to do what I do best with such significant consequences. My job is to determine who is financing, making, placing and detonating IED's that injury and kill our soldiers and innocent Iraqi citizens. While the thought of me in an army uniform at this stage in my life seems to be somewhat humorous, the consequences of my doing my job well are not. God has given me the opportunity to help save lives. I have never felt part of such a significant mission in all my life. Nor have I been around so many great Americans. These young soldiers are absolutely amazing. It is my prayer that God will use me to save both physical & spiritual lives & to do everything in my power to bring our young soldiers home safely. They inspire me.They are dedicated, tough, intelligent patriots who choose to serve their country despite the ugliness of politics, the criticisms of the ungrateful, or the risk to their own personal safety. Everyone of these young men & women deserve our undying grattitude and respect. Please let them know when ever you see one of our finest how much you appreciate the freedom they so valiantly defend.
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Evan at FCA Leadership Camp 2008
My son, Evan, recently attended a leadership camp for FCA highschool students. I am so proud of him and the young man he has become. The guest speaker, Perry Tuttle, apparently made quite an impression on Evan and others who attended this wonderful event put on by David Wall and the Eastern North Carolina District of the FCA. Evan spoke quite eloquently when asked about his experience at the camp. I will try to post part of the newsletter with Evan's response later.
God, thank you for Nancy, Evan & my beautiful daughter Emily.
God, thank you for Nancy, Evan & my beautiful daughter Emily.
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