I’ve been thinking quite a bit about 9/11 and where our country has come since then and I thought it might be helpful to give a soldier’s perspective. If it’s not helpful I don’t really care…read on anyway…or don’t.
Now that I’m out of the military I’m actually allowed to have an opinion. Wanna know what that opinion is? Support the troops. I know, I know…everyone SAYS they support the troops, but do they really?
Besides the “Have you ever killed anyone question?” (by the way…DON’T ask soldiers this 9 times out of 10 the answer is probably yes…unless said soldier was a pogue. So, just assume the answer is yes) the 2nd question I HATE being asked is “How could you go over there and do this or that?” Are you freaking kidding me? Do you really think they went around and took a poll on who wanted to leave their families to go fight in some place that smells and looks like the inside of a camel’s 5th point of contact (that’s butt for anyone who hasn’t jumped out of an airplane, haha) I assure you, if actually given a choice the number of troops in Afghanistan/Iraq would be astronomically fewer.
But that’s just it, we didn’t have a choice. We signed up to do a job and we all knew what we were getting ourselves into. Especially if, like me, the soldier signed up after 9/11. We aren’t allowed to have an opinion on the morality or political correctness of where or what we’re fighting…it’s our job so we do it. Get in…do what we were trained to do…and get home.
And if one more person talks to me about the morality of what we did or if it was hard to take someone’s life I’m going to punch them in the throat. Over there I had one thought above all others…”Either that dude is going home or I am…and it sure as hell isn’t going to be him.” That might sound harsh, but if you haven’t experienced war then your opinion doesn’t count.
Having to watch friends die because they were too afraid to pull the trigger because of what might happen to them when they get home is a feeling I’ll never forget. It’s war and we’re humans…mistakes are going to be made and that’s just how it is. War isn’t pretty and it takes a certain type of person to be able to step up to the plate and do what’s necessary to get the job done. I’m so sick of people sitting on their fat arses back in the states and telling soldiers how to fight and what they can and cannot do. We’re highly trained professionals who know what it takes to get a job done, and get it done well. Let us do the job and let us get home.
So…on 9/11 take a second to think about those men and women overseas right now. I don’t care what you think of the politics of war (I assure you that most soldiers probably agree with you deep down) Please understand that a soldier just does what he signed up to do…follow orders. It was never my choice to be away from my wife and the comforts of home but someone had to do it and I’m unbelievably proud that I had the PRIVILEGE of serving. AIRBORNE!!
John 4 hit me in a way it hasn’t hit me before. Normally I see the heading “Jesus and the woman of Samaria” and I’m like “Yep, been there…read that…let’s move on.” Today I decided to try to be more attentive and I picked up something I haven’t noticed before. After this chica leaves to go get others in town to come see this guy who knew everything she’d ever done, Jesus has this conversation with the disciples:
“You know the saying, ‘One plants and another harvests.’ And it’s true. I sent you to harvest where you didn’t plant; others had already done the work, and now you will get to gather the harvest.”
How cool is this? I can’t help but think of John the baptist. He worked long and hard “planting” and then died before he ever was able to see the incredible harvest. Like the day when Peter gets up to preach and 3,000 people get saved. Are you kidding me? Now THAT’S preaching! But it all started somewhere. It started with someone being faithful and planting a seed. I can’t help but think of the seed Hudson Taylor planted in China. He didn’t get to see the harvest. As a direct result of his faithfulness, hundreds of thousands…if not millions of Chinese have come to realize what Christ has done for them.
This is a swift kick in the nuts for me. I get pretty discouraged when I “plant the seed” and see no evidence of a changed life. Why? If I’m honest…I rely WAY too much on me being the one to save people. Crazy as it sounds I all too often feel like without me God couldn’t save this specific person. Before you pick up your stones, think about it…aren’t we all this way to some degree or another. The hardest thing for me to do is plant a seed and then leave everything else in God’s hands. So here’s what I’m thinking today…I’m an ABSOLUTE TOOL! (please keep your “amen” comments to yourself) God doesn’t need me to save people…all I am is a tool he’s chosen to use in the process…and right now I can’t think of anything I’d rather be than a TOOL!
And now…for your viewing pleasure: I give you Spencer Pratt, a tool on a COMPLETELY different level
Ok…it’s been a LONG hiatus. More than the entire summer. I’ve decided to start blogging again. Why? A few reasons:
It’s an awesome way for everyone to stay involved in my life
The original reason was I wanted my life to be exposed. I wanted people to know what was going on with me…and then I “killed” it
The absolute #1 priority in my life is to praise Christ. My life has been absolutely changed by Christ and if Christ can change 1 person who reads my experiences on my blog than it is all worthwhile
So…what was the actual deciding factor that made me brush the cobwebs off this blog and fire the engines up again? I was called out (in an absolutely gracious way) by a really good friend. I won’t name any names but he has a blog…www.justindetmers.com Check it out!
Which brings me to another point and probably a future blog post to “expound” upon this point: a true friend will call you out. So, thank you to that friend (who of course will still remain nameless)
While most of you were sitting outside, with scrumptulescent smells of all sorts of goodness cooking on the grill I was in my back yard digging a trench that had to have been at least 8.67 miles long.
Why, you may ask, was I outside digging a trench? They guys who built my house thought it would be a sweet idea to just have the sump pump drain right outside the wall of my house. I’ll let you in on a little "homeowner secret" that I learned: If water doesn’t get far enough away from your foundation, it goes right back into the drain tile and gets taken right back to the sump pit. For those of you who are slow like me, that means the sump pump was just pumping the same water over and over again.
I was not very happy. So, I called the builder (who I thought was a pretty good guy) His response? "Wow man, that sucks." <–Are you kidding me? Lest I bore you, I spent all of today digging the aforementioned trench, laid drain tile, and ran it over to a storm drain that is on the other side of my property. Sump pump problem conquered…for now.
P.S. This may sound like complaining…actually it absolutely is complaining so I’ll throw this in there: I am UNBELIEVABLY blessed to have to take care of this problem. I love that after 9 moves in 3 years Kristen, Jack and I are finally in a house. I would much rather dig a trench every day then have to move 3 times a year.
Check out this post on the Mars Hill Blog by Thomas Hurst , a famous photojournalist, about how his life was changed by Jesus. It is an amazing story! Here’s an excerpt:
As always, God had a plan much better than mine, and as usual, it was a plan I never saw coming. My employer gave me an assignment to photograph a young local pastor making waves in the Christian community. I spent the next two weeks shadowing Mark Driscoll. I followed him from the pulpit, to his home, to the store, in his truck, at his dinner table, on walks with the kids. And I asked questions. I asked every question I could imagine. I asked good questions, bad questions, trick questions, and by the end of the two weeks, I became a Christian.
I LOVE this!!! Here is another guy whose life was changed by the gospel shining in someone’s life (Mark Driscoll in this instance) This is an awesome example of someone living Matthew 5:16
…let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly father. "
The gospel produces changed lives, and it should be VERY obvious to others!
Ok, so I started reading Numbers today. By the way, it’s May and I’m still on track to read through the Bible this year. I finished Leviticus yesterday…probably the first time I’ve actually READ through the entire book. My whole "read through the Bible in a year" plans always get muffed up when I hit Leviticus. I actually used some advice from John Piper on how to read through Leviticus. Great advice!!
Anyway, Numbers starts with a census of the people of Israel. 603,5550! That’s a TON of people…but that didn’t include everyone. That’s just the dudes over the age of 20…not the younger men, children, or any of the women….AND it doesn’t include the tribe of Levi. Ok, let’s think about this…math is NOT one of my strong subjects but it’s safe to say that there’s well over 1.5 million people here. That’s crazy!! This is an amazing increase from the 70 people who originally started in Egypt.
What do I take from this? God’s FAITHFULNESS!! That is a TON of people to provide for every day but God did it. (Even though they were a pretty annoying group of whiners…but then again, aren’t we?) Quite a while before this God made a promise to a guy named Abraham that he would make his descendants a great nation. In Numbers we see that promise unravel even more as God is leading his people into this "promised land". God keeps his promises, we can see it clearly in Deuteronomy 7:9–>
Understand, therefore, that the Lord your God is indeed God. He is the FAITHFUL God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations…"
What do WE take from this and how do we apply it? We should always ask this when reading.
God is faithful and we can trust this wholeheartedly. He keeps his promises…we can rely on him when everyone else fails us.
We should PROCLAIM this…it should be on our minds all the time and we shouldn’t be afraid to let people know it. In Psalm 40:10 David says, "…I have talked about your faithfulness and saving power. I have told everyone…of your unfailing love and faithfulness."
God’s faithfulness is absolutely amazing and we can see it on display over and over throughout the ENTIRE bible.
Matt Chandler is without a doubt the most passionate pastor I have ever heard in my life. His heart for the gospel is inspiring. You really need to watch this video if you haven’t already:
My doctrine on election was challenged big time about two years ago. Since then I’ve realize that it always has been God’s choice. I wouldn’t want it any other way.
Here’s a GREAT quote from Charles Spurgeon:
“I believe in the doctrine of election, because I am quite certain that, if God had not chosen me, I should never have chosen him; and I am sure he chose me before I was born, or else he never would have chosen me afterwards; and he must have elected me for reasons unknown to me, for I never could find any reason in myself why he should have looked upon me with special love.”
Wow….way to go Chuck. That’s why I love this guy. Well, this and the fact that he loved cigars.
I came across this article online. Matthew Paris is an atheist and he wrote an article on Christianity in Africa. He admits that he’s an atheist, but he truly believes Africa needs God. By far the best quote is this:
It confounds my ideological beliefs, stubbornly refuses to fit my world view, and has embarrassed my growing belief that there is no God. Now a confirmed atheist, I’ve become convinced of the enormous contribution that Christian evangelism makes in Africa: sharply distinct from the work of secular NGOs, government projects and international aid efforts. These alone will not do. Education and training alone will not do. In Africa Christianity changes people’s hearts. It brings a spiritual transformation. The rebirth is real. The change is good.
Did you pick up on this? This is what the gospel produces, changed lives. This is exactly what Jesus was talking about in Matthew 5:16:
"In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."
This is a HUGE call for us! Matthew Paris didn’t start with looking at God, it started with seeing the honest, real change that happens in a person’s life because of the gospel. Christ is everything. We are nothing.
This is me….exposed. More on that later.
The most important thing in my life is Christ. Next is family. I’ve been married four years now to the most amazing woman in the world. She definitely is my better half and if you’ve ever met us it’s impossible to disagree with me. We have a 2 year [...]more →
