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Leaving a legacy of faith

[…]his profession and availed himself for God’s use. His characteristics as a “devout man” (Acts 10: 2) and his acts of prayer and giving alms pleased the Lord and are commemorated by Him. What about you? How are you consistently availing yourself for Christ’s service?   Thoughts to Ponder:   How would you like to be remembered by God…by others? What matters most to you, man’s impression or God’s?  Are you responsive to the legitimate needs of others when approached for help (non-monetary matters)? How are you using your time, talent and treasures for Kingdom building? No faithful act is […]

Speak my language

[…]misunderstandings and resentment can easily grow. Now we know that Rob’s love language is Acts of Service, which means he feels most loved when I do things for him, whether that’s cooking, bringing him coffee, or keeping the house tidy. My love language is Quality Time, so spending time in activities or conversation with him is what makes me feel most loved. But because we didn’t know this about each other when we first married, our efforts at expressing love often fell short. Here’s what happened:   Jocelyn: When Rob was out at sea, my love tank felt depleted. Every […]

Getting Intentional in Your Marriage

[…]and ask for forgiveness. Think the best of your spouse’s motives and intentions. In the Book of Acts, we are introduced to a married couple that moved in tandem, seamlessly serving others with humility and excellence-Priscilla and Aquila. “When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately” (Acts 18:26). They worshipped, studied, encouraged others, and even taught together. How exciting that on any given day God could use them individually or together for His purposes. In essence, this couple hosted an OCF fellowship in their home (1 […]

Leadership and the Christian Officer

[…]upon the commander’s own personality. The commander must win confidence and loyalty by his own acts. No one can do this for him. While he does certain things with the deliberate intent of gaining optimum control over his unit, and the maximum effort from it, his acts must nevertheless not be a front. They must represent the real man under the rank insignia. Confidence To inspire confidence the commander must be confident. Leaders must firmly believe that they can handle the job, seeing obstacles as challenges rather than a cause for apprehension. The commander must be able to understand and […]

Let His Light Shine!

[…]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 anti-virus protection, culling out evil thoughts and evoking the Holy Spirit to keep the “hard drive” of our inner man unpolluted.  And by feasting on the Word, we password-protect our heart and mind with Scripture, locking and protecting our thoughts. As you continue to serve our nation, know that OCF was tailor-made to come alongside and provide you with the defense-in-depth […]

The Line Officer and the Chaplain

[…]the good news of God’s love and holiness. Like those the Apostle Paul encountered in synagogues (Acts 9:20, 13:5) and in places of prayer (Acts 16:16), these people may be open to the loving witness you offer concerning the grace and truth that can be found only in Jesus Christ. That may be why God drew them to your chapel! The chapel ministry offers you an open door to the personnel in your command. We sometimes overlook the potential for ministry of this rather obvious fact. Christian ministries authorized by the military allow a means for the gospel to be […]

Truth and the Christian Leader

[…]heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened” (Acts 5:5). A close reading of Acts 5:1-11, the account of Ananias and Sapphira’s deceit, should lead one to conclude that truth is the essential thing. In this perplexing story–which takes place as the early church was forming–maintaining a standard of truth and honesty proved to be the bedrock for the church and our Christian faith. Those endowed with leadership responsibility needed to set and safeguard ethical standards. Many are shocked at the decisive, harsh response to the couple’s duplicity. Yet neither Peter […]

Do you have a PCS sponsor—to heaven?

[…]“looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God” (Acts 7:55). Jesus’ promise to His distressed disciples the night before He was crucified is rock solid to us as well 2,000 years later, “My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (John […]

I Only See Green

[…]We all descended from Adam and Eve so no matter what race we are, we all come from the same blood (Acts 17:26). God wants to save all mankind, not just one race or two. Jesus showed in many ways that race did not impact His thinking. For instance, He did not hesitate to show love to a Samaritan woman with whom he as a Jew should not have associated. The Son of God is many things to me, but racist is certainly not one of them. I see only green, my Savior sees only hearts. 1LT (P) Kevin Polosky, […]

Leadership Moments: Are You Leading?

[…]thwarted, do you entertain the idea that God can also work through this opposition? (Romans 8:28, Acts 8:1)   More leadership articles on the website Courageous Command: Beyond Battlefield Boldness Lessons in Leadership…from a Squadron Janitor Leadership […]

Making the ‘no greater love’ sacrifice

by Ben Ferguson Acts of uncommon valor in the arena of battle, those of valiant warriors risking their own safety and survival to come to the aid of their “battle buddies,” are at the very heart of Jesus’ proclamation that, “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13). Four WWII chaplains, who had studied and served together, put into practice one February morning in 1943 what they preached. They gave their lives so others might live. The USAT Dorchester was a converted troop ship taking 902 souls from New York to war […]

On The Rock

[…]response come from the foundation of your spiritual life? Jesus said that everyone who hears and acts on His words is wise. That wise one will be the person all eyes turn to in the midst of tragedy and need. When I was a child, we played a game called Follow the Leader. As an adult, it is not a game. The world is watching, and those in our sphere of influence will follow our lead. The strength of our building materials will be revealed by how our life of faith is lived out when the rains fall and the […]

Preparing for Active Duty

[…]for and a commitment to the OCF vision, purpose, and mission. (Ephesians 4:11-13, Colossians 3:23, Acts 4:13) Air Force Academy “firsties” sometimes ask: “Why should I have to attend the Basic Course at Maxwell? It just  rehashes what I’ve spent four years learning.” Not true! You will build relationships that will last throughout your career, and for the last two weeks of the course, you will interact with NCOs from the Senior NCO Academy. Perhaps the right questions are: “Lord, what is it that You want to teach me while I’m at ASBC? Lord, to whom do You want me […]

Professional Perspectives for Senior Officers

[…]spiritual life? It is that which turns your focus away from the principal task of leading and distracts you with extraneous things. (A military deception plan seeks to accomplish this in the minds of the enemy commanders.) The world will set before you many other priorities. Some of them are good things in and of themselves. If they do not help you accomplish God’s purposes for you, however, they can lead you and those 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 […]
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Some Thoughts for Christians

[…]tell us about human government? Prescriptively: (see Romans 13:1-7, Matthew 22:15-22, and Acts 5:29) Government is God ordained. Thus, anarchy is ruled out. Government rightly has a responsibility to reward good and punish evil, using force when necessary. Believers ought to obey the law, render respect to officials, and pay taxes. Government’s rightful authority is always subordinate to the authority of God, 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 […]

Spiritual Battle Plans

[…]yet daily intake of God’s Word. Prayer Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication (ACTS). Also, make your prayer list realistic: split it into multiple parts and pray over one section per day. Ask God questions about your military leadership and everything on your heart; it reminds us to listen. When He answers it enables us to see His relevance in the practical aspects of our life. Journaling Capture God’s answers to prayer and His revelations of truth (Proverbs 29:18). This is how we actively listen, pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17), grow, and demonstrate to God that we can be trusted […]

The Chaplaincy

[…]the God who died for them. I think of our work much like the ministry of Phillip in the book of Acts. He was called to leave the comfort zone of fruitful ministry in Samaria. The Angel of the Lord told him, “Take a walk on a deserted dusty road” (my paraphrase). Phillip obeys the angel’s voice and he is vectored to an Ethiopian government official ready to hear the words of salvation. In much the same way, as chaplains walk among the tents, eat in the chow halls, and ride in the convoys, the Lord vectors them to those […]

The Heartbeat of OCF

[…]thing is getting a group started so there is a safe place where you can encourage one another to acts of love, 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 […]

Ways to Give

[…]Springs, or to one of the Field Staff. Subsequently, for many members the receipt letter acts as a regular reminder for their next contribution. Military Allotment SystemAs a former Financial Management Officer in the Marine Crops, I know the advantages of this option. First, its perfectly fine under today’s regulations. Second, the money is taken out of your pay account before your paycheck is produced, so you don’t really miss it. Third, to participate there are no extra costs to you or fees that need to be paid by OCF. Contact your local Administrative Office or Finance Office and ask […]

What Works for New Officers?

[…]Don’t feed your face until you feed your soul. God’s Word will kindle a prayer response (Acts 17:11). 10. If all else fails, rest in the knowledge that GOD IS FAITHFUL. Think of all the times when He has carried you through a situation and you didn’t realize it until later. TIP: In faith you will learn to be certain of what you do not see. Trust Him. Rely on Him (Phil. 4:4, Heb. […]
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