by OCF friends Captain (Royal Navy) Richard and Captain (British Army) Rosalind Meryon, who have spoken many times at OCF’s conference center in White Sulphur Springs, PA, invite OCFers travelling to the Holy Land to contact them. The Meryons oversee the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem. “Rosalind and I greatly want to greet OCFers and their churches and groups. We will endeavor to welcome every one of you to this pinnacle experience during your time in Israel.” The Meryons were on the British Naval Staff in Washington, DC, from 1985-88 and back again from1992-1995 at the NATO headquarters in Norfolk, VA. […]
[…]I began to appreciate the grisly possibilities associated with his seafaring deployments. At a navy base chapel we attended when I was in fourth grade, I learned to sing the lines of this hymn… Lord God, our power evermore Whose arm doth reach the ocean floor Dive with our men beneath the sea Traverse the depths protectively Lord, hear us when we pray and keep Them safe from peril in the deep. Its hauntingly beautiful melody gave me my first inkling of the risks involved in sea service. The second was when Dad began taking us to the aquarium…where it […]
[…]entire world. They rule the sky and are the very definition of air superiority. The United States Navy is the supreme naval force on this globe. They rule the oceans and are without peer. The Unites States Army is the undefeatable land combatant force. They don’t start wars, they end them. When the army arrives, the battle is over.” At this point the Sergeant Instructor paused, looked slowly around the room and then continued in a low menacing voice, “…and then there is the Marine Corps.” And that’s all he said. “Yes!” we barked and “Ooh-Raahed” with every fiber of […]
[…]the Son of God.” As a family member or military member, you were “commissioned” in our Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, or Coast Guard to do the work of our Lord as professional military servants, as a family, and as ambassadors of Jesus Christ. The crises in your lives will be hard, but they are for His purposes and for the purpose of shaping you in His image. So praise the Lord as you take on this new “commission” and this next assignment that the Lord has prepared for you. In the words of the apostle Paul, “Rejoice in the […]
[…]crisis in marriage. Studies done by the Naval Health Research Center in San Diego during and after Navy men had nine months of sea duty showed, “the initial two months away from home were critical, but it was the first two months back that were even more critical.” Why? What problems can arise? And can they be prevented? One of the most obvious problems concerns the flip-flops that occur in the wife’s role. Her husband goes to sea, and suddenly she is forced to become independent. She must make important decisions by herself She must take the responsibility of handling […]
[…]leaders. Both are appointed by God for His purposes. I’ve also served on active duty in the Navy for five years (first as a line officer, then as a chaplain). Out of these experiences, I’ve learned some reasons why God may lead you to serve Him in your local chapel. I’d like to share them with you. I hope you’ll see them as exciting opportunities! A chapel congregation can provide a living demonstration of our unit in Jesus Christ. Often nonbelievers are confused by the fact of many denominations and the competition that sometimes occurs between them. Believers working together […]
[…]in Your Military Calling,” 5. 3 Paap, 29. 4 Ibid, 82. 5 Beach, Captain Stan J., Chaplain, U.S. Navy (Retired). “Praise the Lord Anyway.” COMMAND (Fall 1989) Vol. 38, No. 3: 3. 6 McColl, Denise. “Making the Most of Deployments: A Wife’s Perspective.” COMMAND, (Fall 1989) Vol. 38, No. 3: 12. 7 Roberts, 45. 8 Jackson, Admiral Grady. “President’s Letter.” COMMAND (Fall 1989) Vol. 38, No. 3: 1. 9 Modawell, Jelaine. “Look to God.” The Stars and Stripes, European Edition, 26 January 1996: 20. Carol Vandesteeg and her husband, Ren, are long time active members of OCF and reside in […]
