One of our guest lecturers in my military chaplaincy class was a chaplain who served in a Baghdad ER. His stories and photos were a lot more graphic than HBO… He spoke of telling a soldier he was going to die and letting him borrow his cell phone to call home… all while we looked at a photo of his fatal injury on the big screen in front of us.

The young men and women who work in these hospital see things humans weren’t meant to see… over and over and over.

They need chaplains.

HBO’s site: Baghdad ER

Most Americans Believe in Higher Power, Poll Finds
Source: www.washingtonpost.com
Most Americans believe that angels and demons are active in the world, and nearly 80 percent think miracles occur, according to a poll released yesterday that takes an in-depth look at Americans’ religious beliefs.
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Father Emil Kapaun’s cause for sainthood to be officially opened
Source: catholicnewsagency.c…
The Cause for the Canonization of Father Emil Kapaun, an Army Chaplain who died while in a North Korean Prisoner of War Camp in 1951, will be officially opened on June 29.
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War’s Stresses Take Toll on Military’s Chaplains
Source: www.nytimes.com
“Just as it has claimed so many other members of the military, the war in Iraq has taken a toll on chaplains. Although they do not engage in combat, chaplains face the perils of war as they move around Iraq to visit troops. None have been killed, but some, like Chaplain Brunk, have been wounded. Many report post-traumatic stress disorder and other stress problems.”
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Soldiers’ Self-Harm: ‘Anything Not to Go Back’
Source: www.newsweek.com
There’s a rising trend of soldiers harming themselves to avoid returning to war.
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We invited a friend of mine to join us and had a wonderful time. We got our first foul ball which was incredibly exciting.

Seeing the young soldiers reminded me of why I want to be a chaplain. Sarah made a few friends. These future MPs represented the Army well. I’m very proud of them. They ate an INCREDIBLE amount of food. I’m going to need a huge snack budget when I become a chaplain…

I’m preparing to write a paper on Unitarian Universalism. If you walk too closely to me in the library, sit by me in a hospital waiting room, or talk too long on the phone you’re destined to hear about this religious group.

Feel free to add your insight and suggested resources in the comments section. ESPECIALLY if you’re an Unitarian Universalism chaplain or minister. I’d like to add a section in the paper about how to provide religious support for UUs… I’d also like to know what UU Army Chaplains think about wearing the cross on their uniform.

P.S. Pestered friends, if you’re terribly tired of hearing about UUs… hold on. Next week I’m going to talk of nothing but Church history. [Which conveniently has a lot to do with this paper too...]

I got a chance to talk to Patti on the phone today. What a treat! I’m so very thankful for the amazing people God has brought into my life through the chaplaincy. I hope someday we can be stationed together!

The Call

As a young girl, I dreamed of becoming a military officer. In junior high and high school I prepared to attend the Air Force academy. Late in my freshman year, my parents invited a missionary family into our home. That brief visit with Craig and Jadine Fritzler impacted me. Soon, I felt an undeniable calling to the ministry. That summer, I spent a life changing week at a Full Gospel youth camp in Wyandotte, Oklahoma. During the Wednesday lunch service, Brother Freddie spoke about the call into ministry. My heart burned within me. I knew that he was talking to me; that God was calling me. Instead of the military, I would go into the ministry.

In preparation for the ministry, I majored in Biblical Studies at Evangel University and graduated in 1999. Once or twice a year after graduating, I considered joining the Army Reserves as a chaplain. I thought it was a great way to pay for seminary, and a cool job to have one weekend a month. I visited GoArmy.com and mentioned the idea to my husband. I couldn’t get past that last step. Joel didn’t like the idea. He said our kids were too young and having both parents in the Army was too risky. Since I knew Joel didn’t approve, I never let myself think too seriously about being a chaplain.
On December 1st 2005—after learning about dual military families in an Army Officer Basic Course—Joel called from Fort Jackson and suggested that maybe I could become an Army Chaplain. I contacted a recruiter that day.

I had a lot of questions. I talked to friends. Some were surprisingly supportive. Others were just as upset at the idea as I expected. Still others didn’t really say anything at all. I interpreted their silence as disapproval. For everyone, there was one major cause for concern: my children.

I had chosen to stay at home with my kids. Joining the military seemed a complete contradiction of the stay-at-home mom role I valued so highly. While I refused to leave them with a babysitter, now I was choosing to leave them for months at a time. I wouldn’t get a day job, but I contemplated volunteering for deployment. It took four weeks of prayer, research, conversation, doubt, and more prayer before I finally decided to become an Army chaplain.

Confirmation

After years of ignoring it, and a month of struggling with it, I finally chose to answer the call. Peace flooded my heart, offering immediate confirmation that I had made the right decision. The chaplaincy brought together my seemingly incompatible childhood dreams of military service and ministry. This peace became the first of many confirmations.

A few weeks later, we joined my husband at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. We lived there for three months while he finished officer basic and attended postal school. This new exposure to soldiers and their families ignited a passion in me that wasn’t there before. I enjoyed living on post; I loved hearing the cadence and bugles and talking to soldiers at the park or PX. While at Jackson, I went to MEPS to get a physical. I spent the day with young recruits and came home excited about ministering to young heroes like them. My time at Fort Jackson served as a second confirmation of my call.

In the fall of 2006, I officially entered the Army Chaplain Candidate program. My husband’s unit mobilized, my son entered kindergarten and I enrolled in seminary seven years after taking my last college class. I had to put my daughter in childcare. That’s something I never wanted to do. All of these changes and challenges caused me to evaluate my call to the chaplaincy. Once again, an answer came. One morning as I read the Army Times, I found myself growing emotional over the photos of soldiers who had died in combat the week before. The story of a young son receiving his daddy’s Medal of Honor caught my heart next. An article about the lack of chaplains accompanying casualty notification teams closed the deal. While I wasn’t normally one to show emotion, I found myself weeping uncontrollably over these stories and others. This passion caught me by surprise and offered one more confirmation.

In January 2007, as my husband prepared for war, I left my children with their grandparents and drove 1,500 miles to Fort Jackson for the Chaplain Basic Officer Leadership Course (CHBOLC). I found great peace despite the stress of having a husband deploy to Afghanistan and leaving my children for six weeks. Every moment at Fort Jackson served as confirmation to my call. I absolutely loved being there. One thought went through my head as I stood in formation, did PT, marched in freezing rain, and sat through endless classes. I thought, “This is where I’m supposed to be.”

A call to ministry needs more than personal conviction as evidence; it must also be confirmed by other believers and the work of the Spirit. While the previous events assured me personally that I’m going in the right direction, confirmation should also come from the outside. Several mature Christians have provided encouragement and confirmation. They offered these words after watching me ministering or hearing me share my passion for military ministry. When someone who knows me best says I was made to be a chaplain, those words reassure me of my call. When the Holy Spirit helps me in times of ministry and military training, that too offers confirmation.

Commitment

While I’ve remained sure of this call since December 2006, I don’t always like it. As my husband served in Afghanistan, and I attempted seminary and parenthood alone, the sacrifices I agreed to became all too real. Deployment, war and separation weren’t just distant possibilities, they were harsh realities. I know the pain Joel’s deployment caused my children. I held them as they described nightmares about mommy and daddy going to war. I know the fear that comes with having a spouse in a combat zone and I don’t want to put my husband through that. I’m living through the stress of reintegration. I don’t have to imagine how hard a military career might be on our family. I get to taste it each day.

Sometimes I don’t like this call. I don’t want it. Sometimes the passion is hard to hold on to. I don’t see soldiers every day. I go to school, write papers and do laundry. My combat boots get pushed to the back of the closet. It’s during these dry spells that commitment becomes essential. I believe God has called me to be an Army chaplain. I’ve committed to do that regardless of how hard it seems or how I feel on a bad day. I must continually remind myself of Andrew Murray’s words in Absolute Surrender, “I pray you, learn to know and trust your God now. Say: “My God, I am willing that Thou shouldst make me willing.” If there is anything holding you back, or any sacrifice you are afraid of making, come to God now, and prove how gracious your God is, and be not afraid that He will command from you what He will not bestow.”*

I’ve finally gotten a few opportunities to pull my ACU’s out of the back of the closet. Friday was Seminary Day at AGTS. Lunch and dinner were provided for prospective students by the Army, Air Force and Navy. Chaplain Candidates wore their uniforms all day and answered questions about the chaplaincy and about our Chaplain Candidate Fellowship Group. We also nabbed some swag from our recruiters.

Dr. George O. Wood, General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God, [aka the head AG guy in the USA] preached during chapel. This was my fourth time to hear him speak. He’s hilarious, intelligent and insightful. Really, he makes me happy to be in this denomination.

Saturday I spent the morning hanging out with single moms while they got their oil changed for free at Central Assembly… no uniform… but free donuts.

This morning our church focused on missions. We filled the lobby with tables representing many of the Assemblies of God foreign and U.S. missions ministries. Nicole and I manned the AG Chaplaincy Dept. booth. We shook hands, handed out pens and dog tags, and heard about EVERYONE’S couisn/brother/nephew/neighbor who has served in Iraq or Vietnam or Korea or the Civil war… People love to tell these stories.

We had several cheerful men come tell us how important chaplains were to them when they served their country.

I also had a few interesting characters insist on saluting me… I know you’re not generally supposed to salute indoors… but really what could I do? Sometimes I just smile, but sometimes it’s just better to place people over protocol and salute the crazy old guy eccentric gentleman.

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Well… now I need to recover from all of this mandatory fun and start writing some papers! I only have 25 or 30 pages to write by Tuesday.

A year or two ago, my recruiter sent me the Every Soldier’s Battle kit for women.  This kit includes the book Every Woman’s Battle.  I never got around to reading it until now.  We have a 1,200 page reading requirement for our Military Chaplaincy class.  Some of that reading is left for us to choose.  We can read chaplain, ministry, and military related books.  Since this one came straight from my recruiter, I think it probably counts.  I’m only to page 71.  Much of what I’ve read so far doesn’t seem to relate to me personally… I think that makes it even more useful.  It’ll help me understand and minister to women who deal with different battles than I do.

Coincidently,  I just found a song by Dustin Kensrue that seems to fit some of the things I’ve been reading today.  If his words touch your heart… you might want to buy the book.

Dustin Kensrue - I knew you before

P.S. I’ll let you know what I think of this book and the others I’m reading after the semester ends.

Read about Chaplain Don’s return from R&R on DefenseLink News.

DefenseLink News Article: Commentary: Visit With Family Restores Hope

I absolutely love the photo he included. Not so much because of the cute little Afghan girl, but because of the Army medic beside her. So proud of our soldiers.

OK, well maybe more than just our boots:

Photo via the SoldiersMediaCenter

Praying for my friends.

U.S. troops turn to faith amid realities of war - There’s video of CH Shulman leading a service.

It’s always good to open Google News in the morning and see that my friends are doing well. Pray for Andy and his beautiful family. I’m sure those little girls missed their daddy during Hanukkah.

Live From Nazi Germany - A U.S. Army Jewish Prayer Service

Chaplains Patricia and Jimmy Nichols

I’m so very proud of my battle buddy. Last week she graduated from the Chaplain Basic Officer Leadership Course at Fort Jackson, SC. Here she is with her husband. I lifted the photo off of her Facebook profile without asking… Patti, can I tell everyone where you’re going next?

Chaplain Burt spoke about military ministry then answered several of our questions. What an awesome opportunity. As I stood to ask my question I introduced myself as LT Maxwell, Army Chaplain Candidate at AGTS… He gave me a big HOOAH! Which of course was highly appreciated.

Being the shortest one there, I got right up front beside CH Burt for our group picture. I’ll post a photo and any news articles when they become available.

Missing my battle buddies. Please keep them both in your prayers.

P.S. Yes I look crazy in these pictures… but really, bad hair days are to be expected after that many days in the field.

The hours were long, making some of the information hard to absorb, but I really enjoyed the class. I’m so glad I had the opportunity to spend a full week with fellow chaplain candidates.

I keep looking at my days, at the chance to be with these people, and I realize that this is a time that we will always look back on. In college, it was often painful to build friendships, knowing that we’d likely graduate and never see each other again. But now, I look at these men and women, these future chaplains and chaplain spouses, and know that we’ll probably work together for decades. That’s so exciting.

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Mom and Dad came to keep the kids while I was in class. Jeremiah and Sarah really enjoyed a week with their grandparents. They’re a little grumpy today, I think they’re missing grandma and grandpa… or maybe it’s grandma’s pancakes that they miss.

First we discussed how one of our own chaplains could provide for the needs of one of his Islamic soldiers. This wasn’t just an exercise, our brother is really out there dealing with a specific situation. Next, Rabbi Rita Sherwin of Springfield’s Temple Israel spoke to us about Reformed Judaism.

Josh brought some amazing red beans and rice for the entire class. We couldn’t wait for the dinner break. They smelled too good. So we ate that during a break and talked to the AG Chaplaincy Director, Chaplain Worthley.

The evening continued with lectures on the Moorish Science Temple of America, Nation of Islam, Rastafarians, and Santeria.

I don’t know if it was the amazing amount of caffeine rushing through my veins, or perhaps the fact that I’d been stuck in a chair for hours on end… but as the hours passed, all of the explanations of these religions with their foreign words, and unfamiliar practices… all seemed like flummery.

Flummery. That my friends, was the word of the day on Monday. Remember my word of the day series? It’s back.
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OH! P.S. I also got an awesome chaplaincy scholarship yesterday. Praise God, I get to go to seminary AND feed my children.

Actually it’s going to be a great class. The subject is important, the guest speakers are interesting, and the professor is merciful. Best of all: it’s a chaplain class, which means I’m taking it with friends.

Yesterday we discussed the text books* and a few articles written by Diana L. Eck with the Pluralism Project. [I don't think Dr. Eck was very popular with my classmates.] After dinner, a secular Muslim spoke to us about Islam. After that interesting discussion, I spent the rest of the evening learning about Islam and counting down the minutes until 10pm while thanking God for coffee, tea, Pepsi Max and caffeinated mints. I’d do a lot better with a 5am class than with one going till 10pm.

* Textbooks

About the textbooks: You’ve got to read Finding Common Ground. It’s an awesome book. I’ll write more about it and the other textbooks later.

Encountering Religious Pluralism: The Challenge to Christian Faith & Mission
By Harold A. Netland

The Gospel in a Pluralist Society
By Lesslie Newbigin

Finding Common Ground: How to Communicate With Those Outside the Christian Community…While We Still Can
By Tim Downs

What Everyone Needs to Know about Islam
By John L. Esposito

[You can find all of my seminary books here.]

Here’s a sweet story about a small Bible given to a soldier by his chaplain during World War II. It served eight tours of duty with seven family members during five wars.

We are promised that God’s words will not come back void. When you share them, they reach across time comforting generation after generation.

I can’t do that. While war is an abstract idea for many in this country, it is all too real to others. It’s all too real to me.

I’m not just talking like this because my husband is deployed to Afghanistan. Last night, I started trying to list off the friends I have who are serving in Iraq. I’ve not kept up with all of my Chaplain Officer Basic classmates, but I can think of at least eight good friends who are serving as Chaplains in Iraq or Afghanistan right now. I’m sure there are more I just haven’t heard from for a while. That’s at least eight men and women I trained with, laughed with, ate with only a few months ago. And now they’re in a war zone caring for our soldiers, doing what we were taught to do.

Don’t let everyday life distract you. At least, for today, pray for my friends. Pray for my husband. And pray for the families that are waiting for them to come home.