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Leadership Moments: Are You Leading?

[…]of power are not always effective at accomplishing the mission. His leadership style was that of influence and not the use of “shock and awe.”  Faith and leadership are more appropriately modeled through keeping sight of how to achieve God’s purposes through godly influence, using softer tones, quieter approaches and direct resolve to see the mission through. Simply acting or reacting is not necessarily an effective leadership quality. Leading entails helping people see the bigger picture when “it must happen this way.”   3 Points to Ponder How do you respond to inaccurate or injurious comments? Do you fire back […]

Time, Talent, Treasure: Academies

[…]service academies, deliberately designed as such to forge finely tuned military leaders from out of the fires of continual challenge. Cadets and midshipmen juggle jam-packed schedules that stretch them beyond the max physically, emotionally, mentally.  And spiritually.    These young men and women are preparing for lives of service and sacrifice as military officers to their country, a nation whose society is increasingly drifting off course into the ocean of moral compromise, severed from its Christian moorings.  Knowing full well the ever-increasing difficulties our nation’s future leaders are facing, four couples provide OCF presence at the U.S. Military, Naval, Air […]

Time, Talent, Treasure: OCF small group fellowships

[…]it more meaningful,” said leader Jennifer Corbin. “It was just a neat experience to be a part of.” In the life of the active duty family, it can be easy to focus solely on service to our country, but Christ reminds us that our service to Him includes those closest to us: our shipmates, our neighbors and our communities in need, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).   About Rhiannon Rhiannon is a classical home educator, proud Navy wife, […]
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Time, Talent, Treasure: ROTC

[…]topics such as “how to truly live as a Christian in the military, what they are allowed to share of the Gospel, and balancing military life pressures with their walk with God, and marriage.”  Rob, Chandra and staff all meet for Bible study, prayer and community time before mentoring the students, who in turn lead Bible studies or disciple others—and often initiate weekend events for outreach or just plain fun. We love the chance to be a part of those events with our family,” said Rob, who relishes the “forever friendships” that have been forged. Seeing a cadet sharing the […]

Part of an amazing lineage

[…]good news about Christ. Morgan captured my attention by saying it’s the first seventeen verses of Matthew’s gospel. Why? Because many cultures treasure and value their lineage—where you come from establishes your right to say what you say. The fact that Christ’s lineage traces back to Abraham establishes Christ’s bona fides. Truth #2. Through Christ’s death on the Cross we have been grafted into that genealogy; through Christ’s blood, we are now in His “bloodline.” How amazing is that?  Now comes the hard question each of us must answer: “What am I doing to extend the genealogy?”   This summer […]

A day in the life of OCF

[…]seven decades the living waters of Jesus Christ have flowed forth, from the heart of the ministry of Officers’ Christian Fellowship—innumerable men and women making a kingdom difference by living, loving and working with others throughout the military society. No “day in the life of” is typical—Bible studies, small group fellowships, supporting the chaplaincy and so many other ministry endeavors, the kingdom work of our limitless Lord. How it all gets done is the continual flow of the Holy Spirit working through hard-working men and women, those OCF members who are the hands and feet of Christ, reaching out in […]

Members: Cast your vote now for OCF Council

[…]in the military. We need godly officers to pray, follow the Lord above all else, and be the best professional officers there are.  Nominated by: CAPT Bob Durfey, USCG (Ret.); Maj Jim Groves, USAF (Ret.); CAPT Gerald Hale, USCG; LT Andy Halvorson, USCG; 3/C Joshua Payne, USCG; CDR Vic Primeaux, USCG (Ret.); CDR Hank Teuton, USCG (Ret.)   Lt Col Amanda Birch, USAFR Education: USAFA, BS Mech Eng, Eng Science, 1996; MIT, MS Mech Eng, 1998; Air University, MS Mil Oper Art & Science, 2008 Present assignment: Commander (IMA), 4th Civil Eng Squadron, Seymour Johnson AFB, NC Ministry involvement: OCF […]

Do you have a PCS sponsor—to heaven?

[…]into the next—will one day stand to welcome and greet us at death before the Commander in Chief of the universe and in the communion of saints. Today is the time to make sure Jesus is your spiritual sponsor for that coming day.   Marine Corps: As a sponsor…you provide initial important contact [and] first impression of our unit. Jesus provides the connection between God and us, “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13-14). Navy: […]

With the Love of a Clanging Cymbal

[…]troubled friend.  There are times when we need to stand up for the faith and proclaim the message of the Gospel in a clear and direct fashion. But there are also times when we need to sit back and carefully listen to what’s being said before launching into our critique of another’s life. In either case, love for the individual should always be our underlying motivation. When our speech lacks the love of Christ, Scripture clearly declares we are just a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.    Eric served twelve years on active duty as an F/A-18 Hornet pilot, […]

Getting Intentional in Your Marriage

[…]seen in them how couples grow together spiritually and keep pace with each other for the sake of the gospel. As a spiritually smart couple in today’s military and society, what do you need to add or remove to be intentional about God’s priorities for you? Open the dialogue with your spouse and discuss what you believe is God’s purpose for your marriage. Get intentional in your […]

What you do and how you lead does matter

[…]of scripture memory, of staying in the Word, and especially being able to distill the essence of the gospel message. Stay on message of God’s great love for each of us, about Christ and His sacrifice for us. No Fear! Peter admonishes us to “revere Christ as Lord.” The Army’s Ranger Creed challenges its adherents to give “100 percent and then some.” In your professional and spiritual life, you must not waver; you must wholly commit, completely surrender, “go all in.” Do the right thing at all times—“Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good?” […]

Leaving a legacy of faith

[…]burial” (Mark 14:8) is one such account. Jesus stated her act would subsequently be “spoken of in memory of her” (Mark 14:9). Death, however, need not be the event that delivers lasting memorials. Cornelius, a centurion, a leader of leaders, and a soldier is memorialized in Scripture for his consistent prayers and good deeds. An angel spoke to Cornelius and said: “Your prayers and alms have ascended as a memorial before God.” The Spirit of God used Cornelius to intervene in the life of Peter the Apostle and to deliver the gospel to the Gentiles (Acts 10:34-48). Cornelius’ devout life […]

Finishing Strong, in Iraq and Life

[…]my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:3-6). Whether a military mission or in life itself, who doesn’t want to finish strong? Like the Iraqis, we have choices to make to ensure we finish our race with strength and dignity. There are some practical concepts for us from […]

Let His Light Shine!

[…]armor of God–the belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, feet fitted with readiness, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit. Examine these components and I believe you can see these weapons as fellowship, prayer, and the Word. I remember a different kind of warfare from my active duty days–cyber-war, in which we would initially defend against by employing “defense-in-depth.”  This defense-in-depth 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 […]

The Heartbeat of OCF

[…]service and Christian maturity.  As commissioned officers and Christians in the Armed Forces of the USA, most every one of us can find a wingman to pray with about starting an OCF group.  Once you have a meeting day/time set up, you’re ready for the next step. If the group consists mostly of peers (age/rank/job location, etc.) or specific demographics (sex/marital status/retired, etc.), you should be well attuned to needs and preferences.  Check the OCF website home page for Small Group Resources and click on Leading Small Groups for an article with excellent advice by Jon Harris. Topics include prayer, […]

Waging Another War

[…]purity is straightforward, “But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity”(Ephesians 5:3). Once the books arrived, via donations from my church, I began a weekly study at the FOB chapel. With only about three months left in theater, I wanted to help the soldiers prepare to be able to meet their wives with pure hearts. We discussed the previous week’s reading assignment and corresponding questions from the book’s study guide. Four other Every Man’s Battle study groups also started up at nearby Patrol Bases (PBs). This was the first […]

Laborers and Laboring as Unto the Lord

[…]to the every day worker, Labor Day’s holiday observance has evolved to where today it’s the unofficial end of summer and its plethora of warm weather activities. One last picnic, trip to the beach, or pitched tent in the great outdoor before green leaves take on the rusted glow of autumn. And lest risking a fashion faux pas–no more white purse or slacks past September 5, either! Oregon was the first state legalizing a holiday in honor of workers, doing so in 1887. Seven years later Congress followed suit nationally by declaring the first Monday of each September a legal […]

On The Rock

[…]fall and the floods come and the winds blow. In the leader’s case, how we walk in view-and out of view-of the public’s eye will speak volumes about what we truly believe and the source of our strength. In these days of rapid-fire media, the leader’s challenge is to display a Christ-like response when life-changing moments arise, and thus be the “wise man” with a firm foundation. Act on the teaching of Scripture and help others to do likewise. Model biblical living and live out your faith in front of others. Serve as a ready testimony; realizing that in and […]

Leadership Came Naturally

[…]to salute anything that moved, and I was still in that mode. I’d developed a certain fear of officers, some of whom were certainly deserving of such fear. Not Tom. It was Tom Hemingway that I met, not LIEUTENANT Hemingway. I wanted to know why a robust, confident and clearly capable person like Tom chose to hang out at a Christian bookstore on a Saturday afternoon. Weren’t there more interesting things to do? When he told me the bookstore was an interesting place for a committed Christian I wanted to know more about that too. He had a magnetic personality […]

Operation Iraqi Freedom

[…]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 in the middle of winter there. I’d always wondered if it were really cold when Jesus was born, being so near a desert and fairly far south. If He really were born around Christmastime as we celebrate it, yes, it would have been cold in that stable! And […]

Some Thoughts for Christians

[…]commander given the luxury of choosing a battalion commander. You have a choice between a secular officer of good character whom you know to be a top-notch leader, or a brother-in-Christ who is a good man and a hard worker, but just isn’t the natural leader the other man is. Which one would you select? In choosing leaders for the church, their beliefs and quality of Christian walk ought to be our first criteria. But in selecting leaders for our secular society they ought to be a factor we consider, but not the only factor. Finally, let us consider how […]

Superhero’s Faith

[…]else was doing, thinking it would take me somewhere. Now, I look back, and I long for that life of fun, of adventure, of true faith. I realize that in my attempt to recreate the “exciting life” that I had forgotten, I entered a life of drinking, status, and popularity, but it was actually making me more miserable. I would constantly return to that Clark Kent-like person, a lame, robotic person of whom I wasn’t really fond. I was never fulfilled-I needed to go to party after party and pump myself up by acting cool and buying cool things to […]

What is Required of Me?

[…]do not require checking our own faith in Christ at the door. We live our faith through the profession of arms in a way that allows others to see Jesus through us: through our love, integrity, honor, courage in the face of danger, and our moral behavior. Jesus said, “Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl…. Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:15-16). Respect for others. Developing healthy relationships with non-Christian friends and associates and accepting them where they are in […]
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