John 13:18-38 - Officers' Christian Fellowship

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John 13:18-382017-01-26T16:29:17-07:00

Our Address

OCF Home Office
3784 South Inca
Englewood, CO 80110-3405
Phone: 800.424.1984

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

ocfusa

Did this fall’s Connected newsletter make an app

Did this fall’s Connected newsletter make an appearance in your mailbox yet? Full of ministry news, events, and resources to keep you informed and, of course, connected, this latest edition includes:
• an in-depth look at the newest tool for military ministry, the #OCFHandbook, featuring insights from local leaders, members, and staff like 1st Lt Anna Demoret, USAF, LTJG Jon Cardinal, USCG, and LTC Jim Harbridge, USA (Ret.),
• new hires: CDR Joe & CDR Kristi Chiaravallotti USN (Ret.) and Courtney Taylor,
• Area Coordinator additions: Col Tim & Jennifer Hale, USAF (Ret.), CH(LTC) David & Marie Baum, USA (Ret.), Lt Col Doug & Mary Dickson, USAF, COL Mark Haseman USA (Ret.),
• and upcoming events around the country for ROTC cadets and midshipmen, women in uniform, and OCF local leaders.

Didn’t see Connected come through your mailbox? Visit the link in our bio to download the PDF, sign up to receive Connected Monthly emails, or read online versions of the Handbook article and ministry news.

#ocfusa #militaryministry #militaryfaith

Just as it is impossible for you to stop being a m

Just as it is impossible for you to stop being a military member when you take off your uniform for the day, so it is impossible to stop being a Christian in every area of life.

Personal integrity, flowing from our faith in Christ, will result in professional lives of trust and competence that are evident to those we work alongside. Integrity doesn’t mean we will be the top performer, will get great assignments, be promoted when expected, or achieve earthly success, but it does shine Christ’s light to a watching world (we call this professional excellence)! Work done “as to the Lord” implies we are diligent in our military duties—we know whom we are to please (Colossians 3:17, 23).

Our good work will either flow out of a desire to please Christ in all we do, or from a self-focused motivation such as fear of people, pride, or a need to be recognized. When motivated to work as unto Christ, we rejoice not only in personal successes, but we also rejoice when others have success or receive recognition. In “failure” we are secure in our identity as loved and adopted children through Christ.
-#OCFHandbook, Chapter 6: Integrating Faith & Profession

Check out the link in our bio to keep reading this chapter that unpacks "integrating faith & profession," a key pillar of OCF's ministry.

📸: Sgt. Mark Fayloga, USMC

#ocfusa #militaryministry #militaryfaith

Jethro’s question commands a response. Think on

Jethro’s question commands a response. Think on it. Moses, whose face glowed because of his close presence to God, is being told, “The thing that you are doing is not good” (see Exodus 18:17). That is the last thing a leader wants to hear, especially one who had just led over a million people from slavery to freedom! Read the entire account. Moses was painstakingly judging disputes “between a man and his neighbor” (see Exodus 18:16) and individually explaining the ordinances of God. Talking about being in the weeds! Moses, Israel’s new national leader, was in the weeds trying to fix disputes over who knows what when his father-in-law asks this striking query.

What brings leaders to the point of task overload—the belief that only we know what’s best, perhaps distrust of others, or possibly personal ownership? Moses’ knowledge or wisdom was to be for the good of the entire people—not just for individual cases. The dispensing of judgments should not have come at the expense of his health or of exhaustion. Reading Exodus 18:14-26 helps put a few thoughts in order. The passage provokes a pause, an examination, and a reordering of priorities.

How are you doing in your pursuit to invite others with similar heart and vision into your area of responsibility? It has been stated: “We must exercise wisdom and discernment and desire God’s model” to meet the task at hand. Sometimes ours is to help others understand their spiritual gift and put it to use. Begin to take notice of those with similar conviction and compassion who are able to live out God’s model for a shared burden of leadership.

There is another leadership quality we can take away from our review of Jethro’s counsel. Jethro explained his rationale to Moses. Leaders mentor when they take time to explain their decisions. I so admire Moses’ humility and respect for his father-in-law, and I love the spirit of Jethro’s counsel: “I will give you counsel and God will be with you.”

📖: #OCFLeaderDrawNear, Chapter 6. Don’t Work Alone! Enlist & Mentor (audio also available via your favorite podcast app)

#ocfusa #militaryministry #militaryfaith

From today's #OCFPowerinPrayer reminder: "'As for

From today's #OCFPowerinPrayer reminder: "'As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry' (2 Timothy 4:5). Thank God and pray for all OCFers who partner through their time, talents, and treasures in God’s kingdom work through OCF to help make ministry possible."

📸: @springcanyon

#ocfusa #militaryministry #militaryfaith

“Bible study groups gather in dorm rooms, barrac

“Bible study groups gather in dorm rooms, barrack spaces, tents, homes, base facilities, ships, and everywhere two or more open the Word of God together… These gatherings nourish and equip the saints as well as develop community relationships.”

This new group aboard the USS Somerset is bringing the #OCFHandbook excerpt above to life! Earlier this summer, LT Edwin Handley, CHC, USN, reached out to Col Larry Simpson, USAF (Ret.), our Pacific Northwest Regional Coordinator, expressing a desire to start a Bible study.

The two prayed and planned from states away, and Edwin has seen enthusiastic officers and enlisted gather for study and fellowship multiple times ever since. These men and women have shared testimonies, discussed topics like servant leadership and being people of faith per Hebrews 11, and, yes, enjoyed @chickfila while hearing from OCFer, former Army officer, and now Chick-fil-a operator Rick Preciado!

Pray that this growing group aboard the USS Somerset will continue learning to be Christlike leaders and positively impact the military community around them. As always, message us if you’d like to get connected to an OCF group near you!

#ocffellowshipfriday #ocfusa #militaryministry #militaryfaith

"He predestined us for adoption to himself as sons

"He predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved" (Ephesians 1:5‭-‬6, ESV).

This is just one example of the key truths Carl Crabtree was missing as a "performing Christian." Through a conversation with a Coast Guard captain, the Holy Spirit showed Carl there's a reason Ephesians 4-6 comes after Ephesians 1-3.

Head to your favorite podcast app today, and listen to Carl's powerful testimony to hear how the Lord has redefined and brought to life some commonly used Christian terms like forgiveness, grace, and trust.

🎧: (S3:E7) "How God healed a 'performing Christian' from past trauma and abuse" with CDR Carl Crabtree, USN (Ret.), on #OCFCrosspoint

#ocfusa #militaryministry #militarypodcast #militaryfaith

Being a ministry with local fellowships and confer

Being a ministry with local fellowships and conference centers across the country constantly reminds us the Lord is working in so many places all at once!

This past weekend exemplified that as countless OCFers gathered for Climb Together & Aspentime at Spring Canyon, waffles & Bible study at USAFA OCF, Rappel & Climb Adventure Weekend at White Sulphur Springs, and the OCF Hampton Roads Region Picnic, just to name a few. What was the highlight of your weekend?

📸: @springcanyon USAFA OCF @wssocf HRR OCF

#ocfusa #militaryministry

As a leader, are you ever hesitant or uncertain ab

As a leader, are you ever hesitant or uncertain about how to respond to situations? Are you inclined to give a knee-jerk reaction or are your responses more often guided by the Lord’s true wisdom? Do you experience compassion level fluctuations, that is, sometimes your actions reflect spiritual wisdom and at other times seem void of anything resembling those guided by the Holy Spirit?

At the heart of these queries is the consideration of the root of one’s conscious choices or actions. Our options are to allow the “spiritual self” or to allow the “old nature” to dictate decisions.

David’s prayer is a rejection of the old self. Left to his own devices or contemplations, David, like many of us, could find himself poised to make poor decisions with disastrous consequences (see 2 Samuel 11). No, David’s desire is to be taught God’s truth so that more and more he would walk in God’s ways. He resisted having a divided heart. David’s default in times of struggle was to walk in God’s truth.

Is it possible to discern right judgment without knowing the Truth? James 1:8 reads, “A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.” Surely, as Christian leaders, our desire is to show compassion with an undivided heart—one that rightly discerns truth with reverence for the Lord.

📖: #OCFLeaderDrawNear, Chapter 5. Undivided Heart (audio, narrated by CDR Joe Chiaravallotti, USN (Ret.), also available via your favorite podcast app)

#ocfusa #militaryministry #militaryfaith

"But what I wish they would ask is, 'Tell me about

"But what I wish they would ask is, 'Tell me about your child, tell me a good memory,' because that brings back happy things. Every time you say her name or talk about her, that keeps her memory and honors her." -Chris Thompson, Gold Star Mother

On this Gold Star Mother’s Day, pray God’s comfort and peace for all moms and their family members who are mourning their military child who died while serving our nation.

#OCFPowerinPrayer #ocfusa #militaryministry #militaryfaith #goldstarmothersday

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