Col PK Carlton, USAF (Ret.), talks about how to evangelize while serving in uniform; OCF Assistant Director of Operations Ryan Wainwright talks about OCF membership number trends, how to join OCF, and more; and Josh Jackson shares a roundup of OCF ministry news.
In this bonus episode, COL Andy MacLean, USA (Ret.), the coordinator for Latin America at the Association for Christian Conferences, Teaching and Services, discusses the mission of ACCTS and its work in developing Christian leaders in the armed forces worldwide.
COL Andy MacLean, USA (Ret.), talks about global military ministry through ACCTS; OCF Regional Coordinators Steve and Miriam Shambach answers questions about how retirees can get involved with OCF even if they don't live near a military installation; and Courtney Burdick shares a roundup of OCF ministry news.
You must be certain of your calling to the chaplaincy and this unique ministry. Holding firmly to your calling may be the only assurance that you will get through the tough times. It may be the only way of knowing that you are where the Lord wants you.
Have you felt called to be an OCF Local Leader but have yet to move out on that calling? Perhaps your fear of failure is as big as mine was. Is that preventing you from starting a local fellowship where none exists or joining an existing one that could benefit from your leadership?
In this special episode of OCF Crosspoint, you’re going to hear audio from the inaugural OCF Global Town Hall, which was broadcasted live on 10 February from the new Home Office in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Many of us genuinely long for God’s peace in our lives, but we aren’t experiencing it. We think this lack of peace just impacts us. That’s simply not true. Your lack of peace not only prevents you from living the life God desires for you, it negatively impacts your witness.
How do you know if you are a good leader? Pulling from decades of experience in enlisted and commissioned roles, Col Jassen Bluto, USAF (Ret.), shares three leadership principles–trust, respect, and caring–that he believes answer that question.
What is resilience? Is there a correlation between resilience and the prevalence of suicide in the military? How do you know if you’ve become resilient? Col Tim Hale, USAF (Ret.), joins Crosspoint to address these and other questions.
If we are going to effectively impact the military community, we have to be willing to authentically engage in the areas where the battle is raging.
For the finale of our three-part series on leadership, Scott, Bruce, and Gwyn discuss how to navigate matters of conscience–circumstances where your job and your faith seem to be at odds.
Our panel discusses failure and how to deal with it as a leader in the high-stakes military profession. As my guest Bruce Fister points out, “We’re all going to fail at one point … But you have to deal with it because otherwise no one is going to learn from it.”
God calls us His “ambassadors for Christ” and that God is appealing to a broken world through us to come back into relationship with Him.
Our panel discusses how leaders can approach employing God’s Word effectively, integrating the calling to serve in uniform and the calling to serve the Lord, and leading in times of crisis. The cornerstone of being an effective leader who can do these three things well, they assert, is being a leader of character.
Today’s conversation explores a predominant topic of discussion among cadets and college students across the country today: anxiety. CH(COL) Bob Phillips, USA (Ret.), shares how he uses relationships and group Bible studies to address anxiety and point cadets back to Christ.
OCF has so much to offer one another, the military community, and our world wherever He has providentially placed us to live, work and serve.
No matter your age or location, stand up, stand firm, shoulder to shoulder with your brothers and sisters, and say, “Here am I, send me!”
Who are you? Seems like a simple question, but our answer provides important insight into how we view ourselves at our core and what we believe to be our true identity.
Paul’s admonition to “show tolerance for one another in love” is not a call to disregard others’ immoral practices, but to be ready to show compassion and to sow seeds of right thinking and being.
Are you seeking clarity from God on a matter but are uncertain that you are hearing correctly? Do not ask for something for yourself but ask that His will in that situation be done and earnestly desire to be part of the answer.
What is God speaking to your heart regarding the application of justice, loving kindness, and humility? God’s preferred sacrifice is a “broken spirit and a contrite heart.” He rejects self-justification but embraces compassion.
Christians worship God through every transition that He brings into our lives, both in and out of the military. Some are painful transitions, others are exciting and fun, but each one comes from the hand of God.
Paul yielded to Jesus’ “all in” commitment. What about you? In your work, marriage, parenting…how are you responding to the one who was crucified so that you could live?
Cleansing and restoration has everything to do with the integrity of who God is. As God completes His refining process, we must be mindful that if we want God to forgive us, we must be willing to forgive and help restore others.
Does God really exist? Our answer to that question shapes how we think about freedom. After all, if He does not exist, then we are free to pursue as much self-gratification as possible before death. However, Christians recognize that freedom means we have freedom from fear of judgment as we seek to glorify Him and gladly submit as servants of Christ.
You and I are in the lineage of Cornelius because of our union with Christ. Proclaim the gospel as a testimony to the military community (all nations).
Have you ever known anyone who’s been passed over for promotion? Maybe it’s your name that wasn’t on the promotion list. COL McRae talks about identity, motives, and what success looks like in the eyes of God.
We need much wisdom from the Holy Spirit to bear His image faithfully. As an image bearer of God, may your identity in Christ motivate you to be a worthy representative of our Father to all who see Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Col Darren Duke, USMC, talks about personal transformation and what a life transformed by God might look like for believers serving in the military.
May a Christian serve in the military? When it comes to taking the life of an enemy combatant, how does someone reconcile that with Jesus’s command to love your enemy and to pray for him? COL Chet Arnold, USMC (Ret.), joins me to answer those questions and more, coming up on episode 46.
November 23, 2014. Does that date ring any bells for you? For my guest this episode— Col Rich Tatem, USAF (Ret.)—that date will forever be etched into his memory as the day his son, Brennan, committed suicide.
CH(COL) Marc Gauthier, USA (Ret.), shares his story of how God called him into the military to serve as a chaplain, how to encourage chaplains outside the Christian faith, a story of what it looks like when a leader integrates his faith and profession, and his thoughts on who the two loneliest people are in the military, and why.
In this episode, COL Doug Mastriano, USA (Ret.), and his wife, Rebbie, share their story of prayers that changed the course of history, which takes place during his deployment to the Middle East during the first Gulf War in the early 1990s.
Recently, Crosspoint hit the road to interview COL Doug Mastriano, USA (Ret.), for a two-part episode. In part 1, COL Mastriano and his son, Josiah, talk about “Men God Used to change the Course of History” during World War I.
Col Waring unpacks each one of these three characters—the soldier, the athlete, and the farmer—and tells us what we can learn from them and apply to our lives.
Former OCF director of field operations LTC Tom Schmidt, US Army (Ret.), sat down with COL Dave Batchelor, USA (Ret.), in the faculty lounge of the US Army Command and General Staff College, where COL Batchelor shared the candid story of his personal struggle with moral injury.
The story of Army Master Sergeant William Crawford, a Medal of Honor recipient whose job as squadron janitor at the Air Force Academy, inspired Col James Moschgat to pen 10 lessons in leadership.
Life moves fast. And in the high-tempo, transient lifestyle of the military, do we really have time to pour into someone else and answer the call to make more disciples? The guest for this episode is COL Scott Kelly, USA, and he’ll share his insights on the topic of discipleship.
"So help me God." It's the final four words in oaths for both officers and enlisted. Have you thought about what the phrase means, or what it implies? Our guest today is Col Richard Toliver, USAF (Ret.), and he’s going to unpack those four words—what he calls "a sacred covenant.”
The topic of today’s show is character, and our guest for this episode likens character to a muscle that must be continually developed if we’re going to conduct our lives as Christians in a way that pleases and honors God.
When it comes to the various parts of your life—family, military profession, friends, relationships with others, and your relationship with God—should you be striving to find a balance among all those things? Or should you learn to thrive in the unbalance?
In this episode, OCF Managing Editor Karen Fliedner chats with Col Art Athens, USMC (Ret), about amazing grace—specifically, the four-part message Col Athens shared at a weekend retreat at White Sulphur Springs in 2004
Do you know how to dream? There are three tenets to dreaming for ourselves with a greater chance of realizing those dreams.
With each passing mile behind the Waring family, a pathway toward future ministry was being paved by connecting with and hearing the hearts of airmen and chaplains.
COMMAND asked a trio of chaplains—LT Jon Uyboco, CHC, USN; CH(MAJ) Todd Cheney, USA, and CH(COL) Marc Gauthier, USA—to share some insights and experiences of serving military men and women for Christ.
As our culture continues drifting further into a post-Christian neo-pagan worldview, Christ-followers may be tempted to spiritual panic attacks. Especially for those of us striving to integrate faith and biblical worldview into our military profession, how can we remain faithful to our call when policies and programs appear to oppose higher principles and priorities?
by Colonel Larry and Bobbie Simpson, USAF (Ret.) “Then Jesus said to him, ‘Put your sword back into its place;
Given the description in Ephesians 6 of the spiritual battle raging around us, what can we do to prepare for the moral ambushes upon us from the enemy and avoid becoming a spiritual casualty? This article explores 6 tactics to help you avoid becoming a spiritual casualty.
A co-worker named Diana is a Gold Star mother. This remarkable woman lost her oldest son to combat action in Iraq, leaving behind a grieving wife, their baby, and other heartbroken relatives and friends. Despite her faith, and the support of family and community friends, Diana’s wounds are profound, constant companions she will likely carry with her until her dying day. By embracing her wounds through the loving embrace of the great Suffering Servant, Diana has become His partner in the lives of others. Still carrying the scars of her wounds, Diana is a visible instrument of God’s healing for others.
Thriving Christian marriages reveal prayerful planning and purposeful intention.
by Larry Simpson, Colonel, USAF (Ret) "And fixing his gaze on him and being much alarmed, he said, 'What
William Crawford was an unimpressive figure, one you could easily overlook during a hectic day at the U.S. Air Force Academy.
One Christian of distinction, who fought in five wars, was U.S. Army Brigadier General Gustavus Loomis. In Loomis is the ideal balance of Christian faith, devotion to family, and excellence in military service.
Victory over adversity. It's something Dick Toliver knows well, this great-grandson of a slave, who grew up in dark days of the pre-civil-rights-era South. Despite the shackles of poverty, racism, injustice, he fought to become a highly decorated and accomplished Air Force pilot.
The OCF small group is a safe place where military Christians can gather to support and encourage one another.
Father's Day is the perfect venue to consider those who first loved us--especially our Father in heaven.
Do you allow the "spiritual self" or the "old nature" to dictate your decisions?
Failure is a part of living.
How do you respond to shaping?
What brings you to the point of task overload?
How might the Christian leader apply the lesson of Ananias and Sapphira to the work place?
What enables Christian leaders to maintain the charge when others give up?
The Word of the Lord penetrates the heart and compels an obedient response.
So should we question God's authority?
What is your synonym for fear?
What mentorship lessons might we learn from Paul and his heartfelt concern for Timothy?
How are you doing when it comes to sorting through the competing priorities in your life? What's your battle rhythm?
Deep down inside most of us generally have a sense of how to respond to adversity and challenging circumstances.
Every day is a good time for a reality check.
The leader's satisfaction comes in doing what he is called to do.
So you are thinking about starting an OCF group. Good for you!!
Balance the roles of Christian officer and Christian spouse.
What is the relationship between Christians and politics?
Jesus has called us to take a stand in such a time as this. Laying low, and compromising are outside of our calling.
When I was on the faculty of the Army War College one of my favorite questions to ask visiting senior leaders, was "What are you reading right now?"
Do the military principles of war apply to Christian living?
Character is the most important factor in Christian leadership.
It is a joy and privilege to influence other lives through your leadership.
Food for thought for young Christians in the military.
What can happen when men and women commit to be and make disciples for Christ.
Leading Bible studies in the barracks.
OCF finds it appropriate to help senior officers meet the spiritual demands and opportunities of their important positions.
A final act of courage.
Moral character is the one thing the Army cannot give to you; you have to develop it within yourself.
In Part 1, we ask: What do you think of when you hear someone mention stewardship? Money, talents, or ownership? For many, money is the first thing on their minds and that often leads to uncomfortable feelings.
In Part 2, knowledge and tools are great for your head, but you also need a heart to shape experience into judgment and wisdom. Learn to understand the numbers and balance them with what you value in your heart.
In Part 3, financial goals are the basis of personal financial planning. A great many people are working hard to save and invest, but do not have a plan, or at least not one sufficiently specific to assess progress.
In Part 4, the essence of planning is found in your knowing the return you need and the risk you can accept.
In Part 5, to get beyond tithing and on to gifting you need to multiply His blessings. This is the purpose of investing, and the better we do it, the more we can give back to His work.
In Part 6, God expects us to use what we need then multiply and return the rest. The blessings of stewardship are in the giving. Knowing when and how to do it is our responsibility.
What should cadets expect from OCF during an Air Force career?
We must renew our commitment to study, discuss, pray over, and apply God’s Word to every aspect of our lives, knowing that we have the victory in Christ.
If we are called to embark on a campaign that we believe to be righteous, whether it be moral high ground, dangerous missions work, lifestyle evangelism, or a military campaign, then tragedy or cost cannot tarnish the truth associated with that calling.
Using common sense and sensitivity, it is possible to be an ambassador for Christ in uniform.
Jesus is Lord! These three words can mark what you should, can, and will be in your life.
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.
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.
