[…]Jesus as my Lord and Savior when I was seven years old and my great-grandfather baptized me that summer. Though I struggled through the teens and college, God placed people in my path to steer me back towards Him and I have been truly blessed. What is the biggest challenge you see currently facing OCF right now? Meeting the strategic challenge of an active anti-Christian metaculture currently present in not only the general populace but the federal government. For OCF the challenge becomes one of empowering and encouraging its members to provide the resources to make the current vision real. […]
by Beth Dowty Summer can be an exciting time of change in military life. For those of you who just commissioned—hallelujah! You’re already at or are looking forward to your first assignment. While some have completed ACSC, while others are PCSing. Many of you left a great OCF group behind, but there’s no OCF study where you are or else the Bible study is very different. Now what? What should an OCF fellowship group look like in this new place? An OCF fellowship group can look like a lot of things—there is no “authorized” cookie-cutter model. However, sometimes it involves […]
[…]the hard question each of us must answer: “What am I doing to extend the genealogy?” This summer I had the privilege of participating in two events that exemplified the legacy of Christ, where His lineage is being carried on. On Memorial Day at OCF’s Spring Canyon conference center, the newly constructed Fort Shine Lodge was dedicated to the memory of 1LT Jonathan Cameron Shine, who gave his last full measure in service to his Lord and his nation in October 1970. What we celebrated was not 1LT Jon Shine’s death, but his life. For in his last moments […]
[…]and to offer to Brian a special time for us to share. We reserved two spots for the second summer session and coordinated ground transportation to SC through the OCF web site. (The packing list was very helpful, too!) Father-Teen Adventure is not just for fathers and their sons. Daughters can come, too, and they have just as much fun and grow just as close to their dads. FTA is special. It is a journey with your child. It is physically challenging and fun, emotionally exhausting at times and yet refreshing, and it is a spiritual gift that you can […]
[…]between Beast Barracks and the academic year, when all the upperclassmen return from their summer duties, trips and vacations, Jon confronted me while they stood in formation ready to march to the dining hall for dinner. His simple question to me as I stood at a stiff position of attention, chin well to the rear, was, “Cadet Willey, would you like to participate in a Bible study in the company after duty hours?” Somewhat taken aback, but pleasantly relieved that there were other Christian believers within the Corps of Cadets, I muttered a quick, “Yes, sir!” That brief encounter changed […]
[…]a member of OCF since his days as a West Point cadet and participated in a European “Summer Safari” with the late Cleo Buxton in 1972. He has published articles in COMMAND magazine and in the book, “Deployed But Not Disconnected”. Reprint Information If you wish to reprint this article please use the following copyright notice: “Downloaded and reprinted by permission of Officers’ Christian Fellowship of the USA, Englewood, Colorado. Authored by Colonel Barry Willey, USA (Ret.). All rights reserved.” Copyright Information 2004 Colonel Barry Willey, USA (Ret.), by special arrangement with Officers’ Christian Fellowship of the USA. No portion […]
[…]him in praying that God will sustain soldiers who are growing weary. Originally printed in the Summer 2008 issue of […]
[…]but an uninterrupted period of time just enjoying being in the presence of the Lord? Last summer I took part in OCF’s Rocky Mountain High outdoor leadership program. After a two-day trek, on the eve of summiting a 14er in the Rockies, we reached timberline. This marks the time and place where everyone stops—to catch their breath and take time to be quiet and listen to God. Freeing myself of my loaded backpack, I separated from my fellow hikers and sought solitude, finding a place among the outcropping of rocks to sit. From this vantage point, I was moved […]
