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Operation Iraqi Freedom

[…]wandered. We complain about being there for three months. It’s barren, flat, windy, hot, sandy, and dry-no wonder they complained during their forty years! And they didn’t even have air-conditioned rooms, dining facilities, and a pool!  What an opportunity to meet together as Christians to worship and pray openly from the middle of a Muslim country (Saudi Arabia). A group of us read through the book of Matthew and just discussed whatever stood out to us. It added a new perspective being this close to where all the events we were reading about happened. For example, it’s cold at night […]

Through A Glass Darkly

[…]ones to our Lord. Bible storybooks aimed at appropriate age levels are a wonderful tool. Tapes and songs and conversations about God in our daily tasks provide a sense of His loving presence. Look at the rainbow God made! and Did you know that Jesus loves you even more than you love this little puppy? are natural ways to incorporate a youngster’s understanding of the Lord we serve. Daily (or nightly) prayers on the most simple level help children to begin to learn a conversation of faith. Yes, there were times when I thought perhaps the voices were correct. Yes, […]

Leadership Came Naturally

[…]helped and sympathized, but never lost sight of the reality that every organization both gave to, and demanded from, the individual. That was the condition of his servant leadership style. Specifically, a commitment to the goals of the organization and willingness to serve. He was a man of faith whose self-reliance was based on a combination of his developed capabilities, but primarily a belief that even in combat God was in control. He was a builder, not only in ministry for OCF but also physically. The month he died he had just finished supervising the construction of the second house […]

Professional Excellence (Durfey)

[…]own personal agenda and our own needs, we are much more likely to see others’ needs more clearly and have the time and energy to meet them. Respect, or sensitivity, toward the needs of subordinates, peers and superiors will help a leader better prioritize tasks and guide one in unselfish (or more just) decision making. One becomes “disinterested” in short term personal gain when they sense the value of their work in the long term (even eternal) benefit of others. Through a concerted effort to be a servant leader, something that does not come naturally, a giving heart, is cultivated […]

Soldiers of Faith: Washington

[…]should have beaten them. Much has been written about Washington the hero, Washington the commander, and Washington the President. Unfortunately, historians have often missed the mark on why Washington possessed such strong qualities of leadership and character. His Christian faith was the most potent force in his life and yet, to read modern history, one could never learn what truly set Washington apart from his peers. Some revisionist historians today even suggest that Washington was a deist, though there is no scholarly evidence to support such a claim. These historians further claim that it was Washington’s luck, combined with Yankee […]

Follow Me

[…]of Galilee. The Gospel of Matthew records this incident when Jesus called to Peter and his brother Andrew and said to them, “…’Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men…'” (Matthew 4:19 RSV). As a Christian officer in the military today, I need only look to Jesus for the example to follow. Jesus provides the premier lesson on leadership by focusing on three areas: serving others, doing the will of His Father, and forsaking the world’s view of leadership. Serve Others Serving others may sound like an odd way to lead. If we’re appointed as leaders, people are […]

Situational Awareness

[…]with information regarding your unique situation. My prayer is that this will expand your understanding and increase your effectiveness as military leaders, spouses, and ambassadors for Christ. Others may want to read along to increase their knowledge of this gap.The Gap Described Culturally you are a pivotal element in our society. By chance of birth you live in the gap between the modern and post-modern eras. The modern era existed from 1500 a.d. until about the time you were born. The industrial age reigned supreme. Truth was determined by the scientific method. Life consisted of laboratory-like certainties. Biblical laws were […]

Some Thoughts for Christians

[…]characterized by the Army War College buzz word “VUCA” (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity), and seldom will there be a policy option that from a Christian perspective is clearly right. We can more often discern clearly wrong policies than clearly right policies. Further, especially in democracies, policy making usually involves some compromise–some give and take. Politics is the art of the possible and a Christian congressman may be honestly, prayerfully, and rightly voting as God leads him while accepting half a loaf rather than no loaf at all. Another danger is single issue voting. It is tempting to use a […]

Spiritual Battle Plans

[…]encouraging phone calls to family and to my Christian brother, Jonathan Shine, a fellow commander and believer of like heart. I found that my individual walk with the Lord suffered. I saw that God truly made us to be relational creatures. Hence, one of the natural effects of time spent with other Christians (whether realized at the time or not) is an increased ability to withstand temptation and walk victoriously in the Christian life. Because a robust Christian support network is often not available on deployments, godly ambassadorship during these times requires intentional vision and endurance. There are also other […]

Stretchmark Sorority

[…]raising children to know and love and walk with our Lord. We share with our mothers and grandmothers the experiences of nursing our children’s fevers, cheering their accomplishments, and constantly kneeling before our God in their behalf. Our Lord cares enough to give us this sense of family, tradition, and connectedness as we seek to walk with him and to be the godly mothers of our own generation, alive with the encouragement, consolation, praise, and laughter of one another. Yes, it is a wonderful sisterhood indeed! “The counsel of the Lord stands forever, The plans of His heart from generation […]

Superhero’s Faith

[…]easily so I never wanted to fly like him, but I always dreamed of being as strong and bold and fast and cool as Superman was. Most of the time, I felt like the dorky Clark Kent instead, but the boy in me longed to be Superman. For the majority of my childhood, I felt like a weak little pip-squeak with nerdy glasses, but sometimes I would put my “blanky” around my neck and run around the house like Superman. I loved having fun like that. But then I got older. I stopped using my imagination. I let the pressures […]

Wrestling with Depression

[…]For me, even though I was adopted as an infant and raised by wonderful parents, the rejection and abandonment of my birth parents still hurts. My thoughts are, I’m afraid that who I’m supposed to be and what I’m supposed to do will not be good enough. And the most important people in my life will reject me and my efforts, leaving me all alone with no hope. Even after his great victory over the 450 false prophets of Baal, when hearing that Jezebel was after him, Elijah prayed that he might die, saying, “I have had enough, Lord…. Take […]

How Should a Christian Live?

[…]a philosophy major, and as you can assume, I love reading anything from C.S. Lewis and Sproul to Rand and Nietzsche. I am compelled to point out the flaws in the arguments that are presented, which makes me ask a lot of questions. Additionally, I am an Augustinian; I tend to binge on pleasure and then retreat to an almost monastic existence, but it is difficult for me to maintain either state for too long. I have been pegged by some as fickle and by others as just plain unbelievable and insincere. Consistency is a problem for me, as is […]

Impact Your Military Community!

[…]you want to conduct outreaches that impact your unit, you need the chapel. Location and command “sponsorship” are the vital links. The chapel is not only strategically located where the troops are but also carries with it the authority of the command. The chapel is the spiritual center for unit-wide outreach. Lost Opportunities Officers make a decisive impact upon their units. The chapel is the only church body that is a part of the unit. Since it is part of the command, officers can enthusiastically support events that it conducts. Another noteworthy dynamic occurs when an officer attends chapel. Usually […]

Christian Leadership for the Junior Officer

[…]and the technical systems you will use. Communications systems alone will require reading and hands-on practice. For a time, put away the books on Generals Patton and Lee and the “bulletproof superhero” novels and focus on the technical aspects of your new job. Every type of unit will have high expectations of you. An airborne unit will expect you to attend Jumpmaster School. An artillery unit will expect you to pass the Gunnery Safety Exam. An Air Assault Unit will want you to graduate from Air Assault School. There are similar expectations in every service. The good news here is […]

The Role of Faith

[…]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 Universal City, TX, where Ren is a chaplain. They have two grown sons. We thank Cook Communications Ministries for allowing us to reprint this article from Carol Vandesteeg’s book When Duty Calls. The book is a complete guide to military separations and we highly recommend it. When Duty Calls can be ordered direct from Cook Communications Ministries, toll-free at 1-877-421-7323, online at www.cookministries.com,, or from most online and local book […]

Unity of Command

[…]for individual commanders to make decisions. This builds trust up and down the chain of command and produces freedom and flexibility throughout all of the force structures. Let’s apply this spiritually by looking at the Trinity and the Body of Christ. In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus stated that all authority was given to Him. He also said in the Gospels that He always obeyed the Father–doing nothing on His own account. In the next step down the chain of command, Jesus said He would send the Holy Spirit, who would guide His followers in all truth. He would not speak on […]

Keep the End in Mind

[…]back together. We envisioned long walks, picnic lunches with the children, standing on the beach and holding hands as we marveled at God’s handiwork, silently and verbally thanking God for our reunion. This looking ahead perspective had its practical side, too. As we purposed to begin with the end in mind, we had to decide what that looked like in pre-deployment, mid-deployment, and post-deployment. This minimized the emotion of departure and separation for both of us. It exposed the frightening unknown. Practically, looking ahead meant several things. Preparing for Deployment First, we would keep life as normal as possible. Attending […]

Time, Talent, Treasure: OCF small group fellowships

[…]over 360 of them occurring throughout our nation and across the globe, including New Zealand, Korea and Norway. As they move throughout their careers, OCFers can utilize OCF’s link up system to look up and hook up with existing small groups. Whether they meet before/after duty, or during lunch, OCFers come together in Christ’s to support and encourage each through Bible study and prayer.   Navy submarine lieutenant Mark Treen believes God has given him a rare opportunity to be a missionary to those he lives, works and eats with in the ocean depths, an environment where the difficulties crew […]
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Preparing for Active Duty

[…]will learn that you and your family can serve as Christians in the military, and you will develop and understand the importance of a biblical family in military leadership. You will begin to develop an understanding of servant leadership (to serve versus be served). One lieutenant visited colleges within 100 miles and helped establish OCF groups at those schools. Others have discipled new believers. Still others have joined our chapel choirs and praise bands. Whatever ministry the Lord has for you, become a part of our OCF/base chapel team. Our vision of a spiritually transformed military is the chaplain’s vision, […]

For All Leaders

[…]from remarks originally presented to a group of Christian officers attending Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. William J. (Joe) Shirey, (Colonel, USAF, retired), was commissioned from the Air Force Academy in 1976. He was an F-16 Squadron Commander and served in various staff assignments in NATO, the Pentagon and Air Combat Command. He retired in 2001. He and his wife, Johanna, have four daughters: Sarah, Katie, Rebecca, Emily. They have been actively involved in OCF and other military ministries since entering the […]

It Didn’t Surprise God

[…]early afternoon and things were going my way. I had knocked out a couple work-related errands and was returning to the office. As I walked to my desk, I saw a blank yellow sticky note on my computer monitor–shorthand between me and my office mates for “your wife called.” When I returned Heather’s call, her normally steady voice cracked as she said, “Come home.” Right away I knew she had received the medical results–I told her I loved her and I was on my way. As I bolted from the office, I caught my squadron commander’s attention. Thankfully, I had […]

War on Spiritual Terrorism

[…]clear–we operate in an environment of spiritual terrorism. As military leaders we must recognize and commit ourselves to train and lead our personnel in both operational environments–the physical domain of direct action, and the domain of unconventional spiritual warfare. True Strength While physical training strengthens our bodies, and battle drills build the muscle memory to act automatically under duress–we often overlook the “moral, ethical, and spiritual strength” required for combat. As Christian leaders we must comprehend Ephesians 6:12, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark […]
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