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Fervent Desire for Peace

[…]Charles Alley inscribed the following, echoing the sentiments of thousands of other faithful Christians who battled and bled on both sides. Monday, May 1, 1865 News of the surrender of General Johnston and his army–and also all the posts in his department, comprising the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida… Soon again with the blessing of our Heavenly Father we will be at home among friends, our swords beaten into plough shares and our spears into pruning hooks, never, I trust, to learn war again. Thank God for peace; may it be lasting and righteous, the evil cause of it being entirely blotted out. […]
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For All Leaders

[…]sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” If you’re serious about being at your best, this is a must. Don’t hesitate to seek counsel. Even though you are the commander, you don’t have all the answers and should not be shy about seeking sound advice. “For lack of guidance a nation falls, but many advisers make victory sure” (Prov. 11:14). Incidentally, in case you are a little shy in this area, most people consider it a compliment when you ask their advice. Seek balance in being “salt and light” in the world, without being “of the world.” Jesus charged the […]

Home Front Holidays

[…]think that doing more will make it better. If you are a home front spouse this year, decide what is most important to you and just do your best. 3. Determine in advance to keep a positive outlook. Many well-intentioned souls (often including our own families) become especially “sorry for you” during the holidays. It is okay to publicly acknowledge that you would rather have your deployed loved one home, but it is also okay to truly enjoy the season. Honestly tell others that while you appreciate their concern, you have decided to focus on your blessings and the joy […]

How Should a Christian Live?

[…]I am 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, […]

Implicit Trust

[…]“He said it,” answered the soldier, pointing in the direction of the Emperor riding in the distance, and immediately he was accepted by the officers as one of them. This was simple faith and trust on the part of the soldier. He believed his Emperor’s word and acted accordingly. Instead of waiting until he felt himself to be a captain, he at once took the Emperor at his word. He believed first, he felt next. He did not look at the private’s uniform he was wearing and say, “Surely I cannot be a captain, I do not even look like […]

It Didn’t Surprise God

[…]as events unfolded. The outpouring of support was incredible. Each step of the way, our Christian and military families lifted us up. Letters, e-mails, and cards poured in. People cooked meals for us. Most important was prayer. We were especially covered by prayer the day of Heather’s surgery. It was an experience of peace, even when Heather was rushed from post-op back into surgery to close a bleeding artery that swelled her neck with blood. But it was far more than just peace in the hospital. Many people have prayed for us and continue to pray for us today. Which […]

Laborers and Laboring as Unto the Lord

[…](1 Timothy 4:10). Unlike 401(k) portfolios that go up in smoke or hard-earned homes that vanish in a pen stroke at foreclosure, God’s promise to those who labor with and for Him is unshakeable. The fruit of their labor is deposited untouchable in heaven’s treasuries ahead of them where, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them” (Revelation […]

Leadership by Example

[…] know how to train and then to adapt that expertise to new situations as we are doing in Afghanistan and Iraq, and they do it well, the best in the world I might add. And, if they do not, then, it goes without saying that the Army will not contribute militarily to subduing the insurgencies in those two locations. But it takes far more than tactical competence to fulfill your obligations as an officer. It takes, secondly, moral character of the highest sort in every commissioned leader, particularly as our Army fights the dirty battles of urban warfare as […]

Leadership Excellence

[…]most importantly, great strength of character. Leaders must understand that the profession of arms is an altogether unique endeavor, a true “calling” and, in many ways, a spiritual undertaking. They must recognize the true nature of the enterprise, acknowledge the spiritual dimension of their service, and appreciate the motives and expectations of their subordinates. Service members are generally distinguished by their deep conviction and sense of duty, and by their confidence in the integrity of the organizations to which they belong. The best units are united by shared beliefs, common values, and a resilient faith in one another, in the […]

Let His Light Shine!

[…]consisted of a firewall, providing a perimeter of defense to keep out the bad guys, and anti-virus software patrolling within the perimeter to ensure nothing had slipped through to do damage, steal information, or render you useless. The last line of defense was the user who employed a password or other measures to encrypt and protect their information.  In the spiritual world, we can draw the same analogy-our defense-in-depth measures include fellowship, which acts as our perimeter defense, surrounding us with brothers and sisters to hold up our hands and protect us from outside evil influences.  Prayer acts as spiritual […]

Making the ‘no greater love’ sacrifice

[…]Dorchester was a converted troop ship taking 902 souls from New York to war in Europe via Greenland. Anyone who’s ever been aboard a troop ship as a passenger, with troops huddled in every nook and cranny of the ship, knows it’s not a Princess Cruises excursion! The sights and smells of huddled humanity aren’t soon forgotten. One day out of Greenland, a torpedo struck the side of the ship, killing all in the blast area, plunging the vessel into total darkness. Terrified and confused, the surviving soldiers scurried in search of exits and rescue boats. Chaplains Alexander Goode, John […]

Part of an amazing lineage

[…]after his death, Jon Shine’s brother, Al, and his wife, Sandra, named their young son Jonathan Anthony Shine. Now, LTC Jonathan Shine, one week after the dedication, assumed battalion command at Fort Bliss. LTC Shine is constantly aware of his lineage. He continues to live up to the legacy of service and calling established by his uncle and by his dad and mother. In late June, I attended Anchor Points, which is OCF’s executive leadership course dedicated to pouring into the lives of OCF’s future leaders. I met a family who has withstood five deployments in fifteen years of marriage. […]
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Professional Perspectives for Senior Officers

[…]who follow you away from your true goal. Soon a confusion of commitments takes place, and a crisis arrives. You must set and sustain clear and concrete priorities, both professional and spiritual. Compete according to the rules 2 TIMOTHY 2:5. You may strongly disagree with the written or unwritten rules of the groups to which you have made commitments. When this occurs, you should attempt within the institution to change those rules. If you cannot do so, you may face the decision of whether to remove yourself from leadership, or perhaps even from the institution. In responding to such situations, […]
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Rescue on the High Seas

[…]the Port of Mombasa. Once safely in port, we spent the next few weeks in Mombasa waiting for the crisis to end. It came on Easter Sunday when Navy SEAL snipers effected the rescue of Captain Phillips. Our “Alabama Eighteen” made a loud scene when we heard the news — extremely happy for having a part in one of the best-coordinated rescues ever conducted at sea. Our voyage was a blessed one. I feel everyone knew that it could have turned out very differently. And as I reflect, I see that in those extraordinary circumstances the Lord prompted me to […]

Share this spiritual gift with your teen

by LTC Philip R. Tilly, USA Brian was 14, a high school freshman and was quickly growing into a young man. Freshman year was quickly passing. A lot of “stuff” filled our moments, leaving less and less time to talk, to laugh, to just be together. Our family first heard about Father-Teen Adventure (FTA) during Leavenworth Week at Spring Canyon (SC) in 2001. A few years later I was looking for an opportunity to grow closer to the Lord, closer to my son, and to offer to Brian a special time for us to share. We reserved two spots for the […]

Situational Awareness

[…]and resources for large organizations. You are in a strategic position. By virtue of your rank and position subordinates look to you to set the standard. The example you portray as a Christian leader has the ability to directly affect the personal conduct and eternal future of hundreds. Those hundreds may eventually impact countless numbers. You may be in a position to advise senior leaders on matters of importance. Seeking God’s wisdom and applying it at the right time can steer the actions and attitudes of thousands. Emotionally your career experience has seen unprecedented change. Your life has spanned the […]

Six Generations: 2

[…]inspiration with his fellow cadets. Again, his firm stance on living unashamedly as a Christian is another example of choosing the harder right over the easier wrong of just going with the flow and not making one’s faith a lightning rod for others to criticize. Special Inspection Graduation was drawing near and preparing for life as an Army lieutenant became the one thing on most Firsties’ minds. While many consider their professional legacies–how people will remember them–when completing a watershed event their lives, the main thing on Jon’s mind at the end of his cadet experience was ensuring the spiritual […]

Soldiers of Faith: Washington

[…]Washington shape the virtue of the army? Early on, he carried strong faith into his public life. This is evident from the following entries in his prayer journal: Let my heart, therefore, gracious God, be so affected with the glory and majesty of (Thine honor) that I may not do my own works, but wait on Thee, and discharge those weighty duties which thou requirest of me. . .Thou gavest thy Son to die for me; and hast given me assurance of salvation, upon my repentance and sincere endeavor to conform my life to His holy precepts and example. These […]

Some Thoughts for Christians

[…]and in situations of clear conflict between the two “we must obey God rather than men.” This is about all I find prescriptive or direct in Scripture about the role of government. There are several roles implied by example of governments set up by God in the Old Testament. But, again, the only clearly prescriptive role seems to be that focused on in Romans 13:1-7 which I would summarize as providing a modicum of justice and order in societies of sinful men. Further, conspicuous by its absence in Scripture, is clear support for a particular form of government. What strikes […]

Stretchmark Sorority

[…]have but want very badly). Cleaning your plate somehow keeps a starving child in a distant country from going to bed hungry that night (think of the starving Martians and eat your spinach!). Developing strange dietary habits throughout the years, moms hide in bathrooms to eat chocolate, and they test out special “treats” on Mother’s Day. I remember the year our girls decided to serve me breakfast in bed; the “cinnamon toast” would have been delicious, except that they thought the can of nutmeg was cinnamon. Between large gulps of milk, I enthusiastically praised them for their wonderful cuisine. Mothers […]

Strong to the Finish

[…]helping you learn more about the love, strength, wisdom, and peace that only He can provide. Dan is the president of Encouragement FM, a former Christian camp director, and a past chair of the CCCA Board of Directors. This article first appeared in the March/April 2005 issue of InSite magazine. Used by […]

Superhero’s Faith

[…]where I can get drunk one more time or make some more superficial friends. What I want more than anything is to be fulfilled in life, and what I’m doing with my life right now is not fulfilling me at all.” Clark Kent is not who I really am, and yet I let him rule in my life everyday. I live as though I don’t even know that Superman exists. Clark Kent lives like everyone else in the world does, going through life almost mindlessly. I don’t want that. Superman, on the other hand, lives life to the fullest-he flies […]
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The Jungles of War

[…]sure of my calling. Serving at Guantanamo Bay through the ominous days of the Cuban missile crisis brought no particular strain on me personally. We did our job; we returned home. Then came an assignment in 1965 as a battalion advisor with the Vietnamese Marine Corps (VNMC). The VNMC was an element of the “fire brigade” troops for the South Vietnamese government. They were well-trained, loyal and effective combat troops. Because of these factors they were moved into all four Corps areas, wherever the enemy was active, throughout the war. As soon as things cooled down, they were moved to […]

The Lord—your refuge in a high optempo

[…]you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it’” (Isaiah 30:21). Whether you are newly commissioned, deployed, or in a high optempo job, your time is extremely limited. Maybe you have grown restless or you’ve lost the joy in your walk with the Lord. I encourage you to take the opportunity to attend one of our OCF conference centers or an OCF retreat. But even if it’s just for a few moments each day, even in the midst of a high operational tempo, seek […]
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Two Greedy Institutions

[…]things the officer wants from his spouse: Recognition that his role as an officer-Christian is a calling from God that he must do “heartily as unto the Lord” (Col 3:23). Her input on decision making-real opinions. When possible, a little wind-down time after returning home from work. Time and encouragement to pursue things personal. The similarities in many of the insights from the two groups are not surprising, but also encouraging. Fundamentally, both want to be God’s team in the calling he has for them together. May we seek his grace to live what we believe. Editors note:  The issues […]

What Right Looks Like

[…]often guided by the lessons we learn from past conflicts and operations. Professional development is an ongoing process for any officer, noncommissioned officer, or civilian. Proverbs 23:12 states, “Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge.” Our professional development does not stop at the institutional schools but should occur daily. Thus we are able to apply that acquired knowledge to our current job and also pass that awareness on to others. Demonstrate What Right Looks Like Second Thessalonians 3:13 says, “…never tire of doing what is right.” Service in the military is a 24-hour job. People […]
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Why We Serve

[…]for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (I Timothy 5:8). While Paul’s instruction at that time pertained to elderly members of the family, the application to your “immediate” or future family seems obvious. We work to provide for those whom God has directly entrusted to our care. But God has also entrusted to us a larger family. This responsibility also requires our service or work. In Ephesians 2:8 Paul said, “He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his […]

Will you embrace the Christ of Christmas?

[…]pay a debt He didn’t owe because we owed a debt we couldn’t pay.” But while even many non-Christians can tolerate a cute little baby in a manger, it’s when Jesus gets out of his crude crib and grows up that the deaf ear becomes turned. It’s not that He just merely talks about hot-button things: our sin, mankind’s need for a savior, that heaven and hell exist. But He also requires a personal response—from every one of us-to the gift of eternal salvation He extends. A gift that only He could purchase—with His blood at the Cross of Calvary. Now that cooing infant lying […]

With the Love of a Clanging Cymbal

[…]he was still married—the papers weren’t yet signed. Trying to be the “good” Christian, I saw this as my opportunity to point out his transgression. After a brief treatise on fidelity and marriage, I punctuated my comments by calling him, “Mr. Immorality.”  That would make clear the error of his ways and with any luck I would soon be leading him in the sinner’s prayer. I eased back in my office chair with a sense of pride at my work for the cause of Christ. Looking for additional opportunities to “help,” I asked why he was getting a divorce in […]

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Our Connected Monthly email will keep you connected with OCF ministry news, events, and more. Subscribe or re-subscribe below.

View our email archives

* indicates required

Our Address

OCF logo
OCF Home Office
4050 Lee Vance Drive, Suite 330
Colorado Springs, CO 80918
Phone: 303-761-1984

OCF is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Our CFC number is 10531. OCF is also a member of these organizations:

Copyright © 2000-2023 Officers’ Christian Fellowship. All Rights Reserved.

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