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Professional Perspectives for Senior Officers

[…]and capabilities that your position and rank afford the body of Christ! Develop the role of professional and spiritual teacher and encourager that is intentional, not merely passive or convenient. Understand the national impact you will have as a senior officer, to make that impact positive both professionally and spiritually, and to integrate (not compartmentalize) professional leadership with the spiritual leadership commensurate with your position and spiritual maturity. In summary, we want to help you strengthen the meshing of your faith with your professional attitudes and actions so that you may reflect the character of God. Your senior position will […]
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Follow Me

[…]from the village of Nazareth said it to four fishermen on the Sea of Galilee. The Gospel of Matthew records this incident when Jesus called to Peter and his brother Andrew and said to them, “…’Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men…'” (Matthew 4:19 RSV). As a Christian officer in the military today, I need only look to Jesus for the example to follow. Jesus provides the premier lesson on leadership by focusing on three areas: serving others, doing the will of His Father, and forsaking the world’s view of leadership. Serve Others Serving others may sound […]

Impact Your Military Community!

[…]half of whom are not believers. During the intermission, a chaplain takes the stage, presents the Gospel and offers an invitation to accept Jesus. Meanwhile, fifteen volunteers from Fort Stewart’s Vale Chapel perform an array of “duties” in support of the event — everything from greeting the concert attendees to preparing and serving free cappuccinos. The event is called Petra Cafe and occurs monthly at Fort Stewart. Petra Cafe is sponsored by the chapel and is designed to reach the “unreachable” in our military community. Petra is Arabic for rock, which represents Jesus Christ. The concept is to bring in […]

The Line Officer and the Chaplain

[…]development classes and counseling sessions, in front-line combat, or in the day-to-day routines of office work — non-believers and Christians work together with the common goal of contributing to the security of our nation. The close relationships that grow out of these situations may offer opportunities for Christians to share spiritual truth. Many times they have been used by the Holy Spirit to draw people to Christ. Nonbelievers think of the chaplain as one who is “paid to talk about Christ.” They usually don’t perceive the Christian line officer as a “professional” Christian. For this reason, your testimony about God’s […]

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 […]

The Jungles of War

[…]I couldn’t make sense of my calling, my feelings, my day-to-day actions as a front line infantry officer. In June of 1966 this came to a head as we were briefed on an upcoming operation that threatened a large number of casualties on both sides. I went to the Lord the night before we were to land on top of a North Vietnamese Army (NVA) regiment. I insisted before the Lord that I had to know what to pray for regarding the enemy. I had no problem praying for my men, for myself and for others on our side. But […]

Unity of Command

[…]found all of them in the Bible. Later I applied them to Christian living. The military definition of Unity of Command (UOC) is: “For every objective, one person is responsible for war-fighting decisions.” 1 Our military has a Commander-In-Chief (CINC), the President of the United States. As CINC, he is ultimately responsible for war-fighting decisions. However, he does not personally make all war-fighting decisions. He delegates decision-making down through the chain of command; this is called centralized control with de-centralized execution. The theory is that there is control at the top but freedom down the line at each echelon for […]

Florida – Pace

Hospitality Home: LT Matt Cleveland, USN and ENS Carrie Cleveland, USN Email: Matthew[email protected] Phone: (301) 801-3734 We would love to welcome you in for a meal and a good night’s sleep. We have a queen mattress and a blow-up twin mattress with all the trimmings along with a baby who loves to snuggle. Reach out if you are in the […]

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 […]

TTP – Vision and Leadership

[…]mean what we say, and do the right thing even when no one is watching. From verse 13 of chapter 15 of John’s Gospel, Jesus tells us, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” That illustrates service before self for all time. We pledge to lay down our lives for our friends, our nation. That’s what we do. In addition, according to Paul in his epistle to the church at Ephesus, chapter 6, verse 7, “Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men.” Yes, excellence in all we […]

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 […]

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, […]

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: […]

For All Leaders

[…]in a mighty way through you for His glory! Adapted from remarks originally presented to a group of Christian officers attending Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. William J. (Joe) Shirey, (Colonel, USAF, retired), was commissioned from the Air Force Academy in 1976. He was an F-16 Squadron Commander and served in various staff assignments in NATO, the Pentagon and Air Combat Command. He retired in 2001. He and his wife, Johanna, have four daughters: Sarah, Katie, Rebecca, Emily. They have been actively involved in OCF and other military ministries since entering the […]

Ice Cream in Iraq

[…]to do is hurt the good people and make the country of Iraq a place that is no fun to live. Most of the people of Iraq are good though and they are tired of having the bad guys around. This is true everywhere isn’t it? The best way to make the bad guys go away is for the good guys to make a stand and say, “We don’t want any more bad guys here so you need to just go away!” Wow! That sure was a lot of questions! I hope everyone got their questions answered and I did […]

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 […]

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 […]

Leadership Q&A

[…]be the best possible. The quality of your work and expertise should be so good that it provides proof of your faith. To put it plainly, your credibility as a Christian is on the line if you are a substandard officer. Take pride in your work, walk your talk, and thereby bring glory to God. Q: What are the must-have tools you suggest for keeping sharp as a military officer and as a Christian? A: Every Christian officer needs a friend in the faith to hold him/her accountable, hear confession, offer prayer cover, and encourage us through the struggle. Even […]

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 […]

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 […]

Spiritual Battle Plans

[…]walk with the Lord suffered. I saw that God truly made us to be relational creatures. Hence, one of the natural effects of time spent with other Christians (whether realized at the time or not) is an increased ability to withstand temptation and walk victoriously in the Christian life. Because a robust Christian support network is often not available on deployments, godly ambassadorship during these times requires intentional vision and endurance. There are also other factors that cause godly ambassadorship on deployment to be more difficult: an increased operational tempo, less sleep, irregular eating habits, more demands/stress, and less alone […]

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 […]

What Works for New Officers?

[…]workplace is to complain. Do your job as unto the Lord (Phil. 2:14, 4:11). 8. Decide now what kind of SPIRITUAL COMMITMENT you will require of a future mate. Will he or she have the same vision for ministry as you? After coming to know Christ, choosing a mate is the most important decision you will ever make. TIP: Trust God that He will give you the right mate. Just because you find a Christian doesn’t necessarily mean he/she will be like-minded or share the same vision for the Lord that you have (2 Cor. 6:14). 9. Watch your ENTERTAINMENT […]

Pennsylvania – Butler

Local Leader: CH(CPT) Matthew Lower, USAR. Email: [email protected] Phone: (607) 742-4200 Please contact me for fellowship details. I am an Army Reserve Chaplain and C&MA pastor here in Butler. Feel free to stop on by for prayer, fellowship or if you want to chat over coffee, this is the place to go! Would love to host […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

How Shall We Pray?

[…]by taking them as from God, and asking ourselves what reactions to them, and in them, the gospel of God requires of us; and second, by seeking God’s face specifically about them.” The Apostle Paul had a thorn in the flesh which the Lord addressed by saying, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” J. I. Packer frames our challenges in similar terms when he says, “They will have been sent us to make and keep us humble, and to give us a new opportunity of showing forth the power of Christ in […]

Implicit Trust

[…]gallop. Immediately the soldier lay down his arms, left his compatriots and passed over among the officers of Napoleon’s immediate staff. “What do you want here?” one of them asked, haughtily. “I am a captain in the Emperor’s Guards,” was the response. “You, a captain! Who says you are a captain?” “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. […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

OCF and Leadership

[…]but the fact is that they are all commissioned to lead. From platoon leader to battalion supply officer to Chief of Staff (and equivalents for the other services), every officer is a leader. Are we communicating the right message in OCF? Are we focusing on process in training leaders, or are we focusing on vision? Is the question going into an installation Pray, Discover, and Obey, “How many Bible studies do we need?” or is it,”How are we going to build Christian leaders…families…fellowships at our installation?” The first is a process question, the second is a vision-a leadership-question. Ephesians 4:11-16 […]

Preparing for Active Duty

[…]lives…Grow them deep…Commission them for service Active OCF Bible study groups exist at each of the professional military school here, and several evening Bible study groups meet on base and across the area. A vibrant partnership exists between OCF and the Maxwell/Gunter Chapel community. Here are six themes we hope to reinforce during your time with us and the end state we hope to achieve: Spiritual development An individual who is being transformed into the image of Christ and developing a right relationship with God and an understanding of the fundamentals and disciplines of the Christian faith. (Romans 12:1-2, 1 […]

Six Generations: 3

[…]article please use the following copyright notice: “Downloaded and reprinted by permission of Officers’ Christian Fellowship of the USA, Englewood, Colorado. Authored by Colonel Barry Willey, USA (Ret.). All rights reserved.” Copyright Information 2004 Colonel Barry Willey, USA (Ret.), by special arrangement with Officers’ Christian Fellowship of the USA. No portion of this article may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any way–electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or other–except for brief quotations in printed review, without prior permission of the publisher. Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible: New International Version. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International […]

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 […]

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, […]

The Role of the Chaplain

[…]the same evangelistic techniques. Different denominations employ different ways tof sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. If your chaplains are doing things differently than you assume should be done, look deeper into their operation with an open mind. You may learn something from the Lord that you didn’t know. You should not assume that you will be assigned a Christian chaplain. The U.S. Constitution provides for the free exercise of religion — and not just the Christian religion. So you may have a chaplain who is not of a Christian faith group, and you have no warrant to complain if […]

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 […]

TTP – Platoon Leader

[…]on it because of its hypocrisy. So began my self-questioning. How do you share the Gospel with your platoon without crossing some EO line or offending someone? How do you stand up for Christ without standing on someone’s foot? It is such a fine line to walk. I started with the language issue. I simply made it clear that foul language and coarse joking were unacceptable around me. Folks still slip up, but they know to watch how they speak to others. Then I focused on being a servant leader and letting my feet do the talking. I don’t waste […]

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?” […]

Why We Serve

[…]of salvation to reach those who have yet to accept Him as Lord and Savior. As Jesus spoke in the Gospel of John. Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him (John […]

Submarine Community

[…]720-341-6672 Mission: To encourage and equip submariners to bear witness to the gospel within the submarine force by connecting them to local OCF fellowships. Identify and engage submariners to start an OCF Bible study where fellowships do not […]
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