First Drill

I was extremely blessed to get to Drill for the first time in my life the weekend of 9/11.
This marked a downward spiral for my life, 9-11-2001. Depression set in, frustration, anger, helplessness. My daughter was 6 years old and my marriage was weak, I was not in a position to join the military, despite a desperate desire to do so. It would have been wrong for me.
Eight years later, the Lord called me into the ministry of the Chaplaincy. I started a new church, and only after this calling and investigating the options available, I later discovered that they had a chaplaincy commissioning board, and the brother in law to our praise leader was the state recruiter for Chaplains! What a powerful confirmation of my calling.
The drill consisted of me shadowing a spectacular Chaplain and witnessing his counseling and encouragement skills. Many people minister to those that they like, those with a connection or common interest. In this role, we minister to the soldier and their family. I saw a range of simple kids with no life skills all the way to type-A super troops to whom the world is their oyster. Each person takes a specific skill set, a different set of expectations, a different pace, fewer spoken words or more spoken words. Some of these guys are unlovable, others just think they are. None who we encountered remained that way. The scripture is alive and active, and as we spoke it and employed the principles of scripture, their heavy loads seemed manageable and easier. The light of God swallowed the darkness. One troop prayed with us, the first time, he admitted, in a number of years. What a miracle to see a child who abandoned God start to grope for Him. We may or may not later get to see if this was a seedling, a watering, or the reaping of the fruit of the Gospel. It doesn't matter! Only that we were there, providing guidance and counsel that some of these men and women never received growing up. I absolutely had the funnest time of my life "working."
One thing that struck me was a young Chaplain assistant who was sharing stories and anecdotes. After a very short few minutes, I said "You wanted to join the Marines before you came here, didn't you!"
He replied "I spent a year and a half in the Marines before joining the Army, why?"
The "why" is because he reminded me of the other great shaking I had in my life, the passing of a dear friend in the Marine Corps. A man who had everything the world could desire, a hero of mine, passing in his prime. More helplessness. More anger. More depression. This kid was a carbon copy, and I get to be right there with him as he moves forward in his ministry and his career. I told him the story of this Marine friend, how his heart had been tragically and mortally wounded in love. It oddly coincided with this young man's "luck" in love lately. What a fantastic blessing to be able to have almost a prophetic insight into this young man's life, and to be able to warn him of relevant dangers that he can avoid. We all concluded that his next fiance will be arranged by committee, he is not allowed to choose his own.
I am thankful to George Washington for establishing this incredible position for the Continental Army on July 29, 1775 to serve and strengthen our troops, and to protect their constitutional right to freedom of religion. I am grateful that we can be the hands and the feet of our saviour to these men and women and their families, some in the greatest and the lowest points in their lives. We are truly in the most blessed nation on the planet, and perhaps in the history of all time. The Chaplaincy will consist of grave challenges, desperate woes, indescribable joys, and hard, hard work. I have never wanted anything more in my life!