Better Chaplain Series - Spend More and Be Spent

If the cost to enter Heaven were $1, would you pay it for someone you loved? How about someone you didn't know? Or someone you hated? If you'd spend $1 to save someone's soul for eternity (and I hope you would) then we've set a precedent: people are worth spending for. If you'd spend $1, would you spend $10? $100? $100,000,000?

We know that the price to enter Heaven is perfection, and the price to pay for our sins is infinite, so we can't pay someone's way into Heaven, especially when we have our own debt to pay. Only one person was able to do that, and he did it perfectly. As John Flavel so masterfully put it, the Father brought in all our bills so that Jesus could clearly see what was owed, all of them so there could be no after-reckonings, and at his own hands Jesus inherited this debt and therefore chose to suffer the wrath that was ours. It was charged all upon Christ and discharged there, though it impoverished all his riches, emptied all his treasures, and proved a kind of undoing to him. (paraphrased from The Covenant of Redemption Between the Father and the Redeemer)

But, Jesus said something very interesting and Paul confirmed it, "Whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father." (John 14:12) and "I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body...for this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me." (Colossians 1:24, 29) The expectation is that Jesus purchased us with his blood, once for all, but the work of taking that message to the nations is left for the church to do and fund.

Chaplain, you are doing no good for the kingdom in sitting on the resources God has entrusted to you. Paul was happy to spend all he had, even his own health and life, and he said if it was possible, he would have even given his own salvation (Romans 9:3). What are we missing when we won't gladly spend to glorify the Saviour who spent so much to win our eternities?

Christopher Columbus bankrupted his vast wealth by funding missionaries to Israel, he justified it this way, "He who has gold makes and accomplishes whatever he wishes in the world, and finally uses it to send souls to paradise." Will you spend $1 to take the gospel to a lost and dying world? How about more?

Key Verse: I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls. ~ 2 Corinthians 12:15

More:

1. During a recent mass-hysteria event we agreed that giving would be diminished so we should tighten our spending. It was easy to say, "We can't afford that." Several months into the event we realized that giving had not been hindered nearly so much as we expected. I learned a valuable lesson that it is easier to not spend money while making excuses than it is to spend money as a good steward. If you're not spending or being spent for Christ, is it because you don't have resources? Or is it because you're making excuses? Why was Judas Iscariot upset about spending ministry funds? Take some time to meditate on John 12:4-8.

2. George Mueller is famous for making his ministry needs known only to God, and in so doing he cared for many orphans and inspired many people. Charles Spurgeon is famous for making his ministry needs known to anyone who would listen, and in so doing he cared for many orphans and inspired many people. Both men spent enormous amounts of money to bring the message to people and make disciples. Would you say their money was well spent? What is more important to them right now as they rest in glory: 1) The money they no-longer have 2) The souls that were won? Is it a faithful saying that, "The gospel is a message of generosity!"?

3. In the parable of the talents, did the unfaithful servant squander the funds entrusted to him, or did he simply fail to use them? Find the answer in Matthew 25:14-30. Do you have any money or gifts in your charge that are sitting around gathering dust? If you spend more, will God entrust you with more? Read 2 Corinthians 9:8,11.

4. A popular economic saying is, "You have to spend money to make money." The spiritual equivalent is "Why would anyone give to your ministry if you're not properly stewarding what you already have?" Churches often bring in more than they spend because faithful stewards want to see their donations put to work for the kingdom. What is the likelihood that you don't have enough because you don't spend enough?

5. Resources:

Benge, Janet and Geoff. C.T. Studd: No Retreat. Seattle: YWAM Publishing, 2005.

Pierson, A.T. George Muller of Bristol: His Life of Prayer and Faith. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1999.

Gruden, Wayne. Business for the Glory of God: The Bible's Teaching on the Moral Goodness of Business. Wheaton: Crossway, 2003.

Better Chaplain Series - Imposter Syndrome

It has been said that joining a new unit is like trying to watch a television show starting on season five. The characters have complex backstories, the history is cloudy and difficult to understand, and there is a flow and cadence that doesn't come naturally to those just getting involved.

If there is a good news, it's that this is not unique to you: the vast majority of your unit feels this same way. Recognizing that you're the new guy--feeling like an imposter--is the first step to diving in and being a valuable character for the seasons you're on the show.

Jesus came to his own, but they did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. ~ John 1:11-13

The chaplain is an apostle in the sense that they have been ordered to be where they are. An important step in getting over the imposter syndrome is realizing that you aren't operating on your own authority: the Bill of Rights, a United States Code (Title X), a commander, and a supervisor have told you to minister to these people. It is not optional, so failure and shrinking is not an option. Your God has commissioned you to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins (Hebrews 5:1).

It will not always be easy, you may work at an intelligence center where doors are literally locked to you, or in a geographically separated unit where you have members all over the world, or you may be following a chaplain who made shipwreck of the squadron. But easy is not your calling. You have the words of eternal life, where else can they go?

Key Verse: "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." ~ John 20:21

More:

1. Paul was a prisoner on a foundering ship bound for Rome, he saw the need and offered a solution, but he was not listened to until long into the strife. Once he was trusted he led many safely ashore, and many safely to eternal life. What would have been the result if Paul had "stayed in his lane"? Read Acts 27:8-44, and focus on verses 11, 21, and 33.

2. If your base has a historian, ask to attend his briefings and understand the mission and history of your unit. Would it be accurate that the person who was most viewed as an imposter in history was Jesus Christ? Yet he increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man. Paul likewise studied himself approved, and often quoted the history and great thinkers of the cultures he visited. Before long the chaplain should be the recognized expert on the history, the present, and the future of the unit.

3. Desmond Doss was a conscientious objector during World War II; he was ridiculed, persecuted, and seen as a liability. But on the day he won the Medal of Honor he repeatedly showed his courage, dedication, and value by saving 75 soldiers who had been left to die on the top of Okinawa. Chaplain, you likely won't be put in a situation where you can win the Medal of Honor, but how can you show your dedication to your people as a minister of the gospel of God so that you can win their hearts and minds for Christ?

4. An Army chaplain friend, Marcus Marroquin, wrote an article (cited below) which encouraged me to give my contact information to every senior leader on my first day at a new base. A few days later we had a tragic situation and everyone knew how to reach me. No-one cared that it was my first week, and we got to work and provided care and hope in an almost hopeless situation. Chaplain, as you do nothing else in your first days, make sure everyone knows how to contact you; in their hour of need it won't matter if you've been their chaplain for five minutes or five years.

5. Resources:

Robinson, Peter and Marcus Marroquin. "Leading in Gaps: Intentional Leadership During Times of Military Assignment Transitions." The U.S. Army Chaplain Corps Journal, May 2024, 35-39. Accessed 8 Feb 2025 from https://tjaglcs.army.mil/Portals/1003/Journals/U.S.%20Army%20Chaplain%20Corps%20Journal%20May%202024.pdf

Booton, Herndon. The Hero of Hacksaw Ridge: Desmond Doss. Coldwater, MI: Remnant Publications, 2016. (Read the book before you watch the movie)

Leiter, Charles. "The Loneliness of the Lord Jesus." I'll Be Honest. Sermon preached 1 April 2014. Accessed 8 Feb 2025 from https://soundcloud.com/illbehonest/loneliness-of-the-lord-jesus.

Better Chaplain Series - Preach In Season and Out

Who is the loudest voice in your life? For many this is their constantly shifting desires, appetites, and pride. For others the authority is a celebrity or strong personality. Others may appeal to history or tradition.

The faithful chaplain knows that true authority comes from God and Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead. The Word of God reigns supreme and forever, even though a time is coming and is now here when people will not endure sound teaching, but will accumulate authorities who will tell them what they want to hear.

The authority is not the ambassador, or the chaplain, or your opinion (no matter how good you think it is), it belongs to the king. It is his Word that has power and the teaching that must be shared. It should be at the forefront of your mind, bound on your hands, stored up in your heart and in your soul. And more importantly, it should come out at every opportunity.

Chaplain, share the Word in sermons, in conversations, in invocations, in counseling, and everywhere. Share it openly when people ask, and share it always even when they don't want it.

Key Verse: Preach the word: be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. ~ 2 Timothy 4:4

More:

1. The chapter and verse breakups were added officially in 1558 by Robert Estienne (aka Stephanus); in light of these additions consider if it is necessary to say, "John 3:16 says..." or if the authority of the verse is enough. Consider the book of Haggai which says, "Thus says/declares the LORD..." almost as many times as there are verses. Conversely, Paul says, "It has been testified somewhere..." Does the power of God's Word come from knowing it's the Word of God, or the Spirit who testifies?

2. Amos was as far from a preacher as he could be, in his own words, "I was no prophet, nor the son of a prophet, but I was a herdsman and a [farmer]" (Amos 7:14), but God turned him into a powerful preacher who awoke many who had heaped lying messengers to themselves. If God could turn even Amos into a powerful preacher, what can he do with you?

3. Paul asks, "If a trumpet gives an uncertain sound, who will get ready for the battle?" How can you communicate the clear commands of God to obey the gospel, so that many can call upon the name of the Lord and be saved. If faith comes by hearing, who have you told? (Confer Romans 10:8-17)

4. Resources:

Parker, T.H.L. The Oracles of God: An Introduction to the Preaching of John Calvin. London: Lutterworth Press, 1947.

Lloyd-Jones, Martyn. Preaching and Preachers. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1971.

Ash, Christopher. The Priority of Preaching. Fearn, Scotland: Christian Focus, 2009.

Better Chaplain Series - Get to Jesus

One of the joys of discipleship is scheduling someone for their first sermon or Sunday School lesson. A few days later it's not uncommon for them to ask the question, "What should I preach on?" I give the same answer every time:

Jesus.

It's not just the Sunday School answer, it's the topic of every faithful Bible exposition. Whether they preach on Genesis 1:1 or Revelation 22:21, or 31,100 verses in between, the answer of what is the main topic of the passage is Jesus.

 I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. ~ 1 Corinthians 2:2

The faithful chaplain must always know how he is getting to Jesus. Whether it's a sermon, a counseling, or a unit engagement, we are not, as Adrian Rogers said, "Just making the world a nicer place to go to Hell from."

If you leave Jesus out but get everything else right, you've denied the faith saying that the Bible can be rightly understood without the main character in the spotlight. And worse, you've necessarily elevated your hearers and/or one of their idols into that vacancy.

From every town and every village and every hamlet in England, wherever it may be, there is a road to London. . .Your business in when you get to a text, is to say, "Now what is the road to Christ?" and then preaching a sermon, running along the road towards the great metropolis–Christ. I have never yet found a text that had not got a road to Christ in it, and if I ever do find one that has not a road to Christ in it, I will make one; I will go over hedge and ditch but I would get at my Master, for the sermon cannot do any good unless there is a savour of Christ in it. ~ Charles Haddon Spurgeon

More:

1.  Not all of your hearers will be pleased to hear about the only name given under heaven by which we must be saved. The goal is not to bring unnecessary offense, but to be faithful to the one who sent you. How do you think Jesus wants you to act in light of his statement to his disciples, "Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and as innocent as doves." (Matthew 10:16)?

2. As my wife and I walk out of a church service, its tragically common for us to say to each other, "That sermon needed more Jesus." Have you ever preached a sermon without mentioning the name of Jesus? Would you change anything about that sermon if you were going to preach it again?

3. Jesus goes by many names and titles: "Immanuel", "the Logos", "Son of Man", "Prince of Peace",  "Messiah", etc. If the name "Jesus" is going to bring unnecessary offense, is it possible to use a different name and still be faithful? Years ago I had a conversation with a homeless Jewish man whose hope was in a rebuilt temple where he could finally find peace, I took him to Haggai 2:9 and showed him that peace was found in a greater temple but that the rebuilding of the second temple did not bring the promised peace or hope; I left him contemplating a better Temple (John 2:21), not made with stones, but a body prepared beforehand for the Messiah to wear (Hebrews 10:5).

4. Resources:

Papa, Matt and Matt Boswell. Christ the True and Better. Nashville: Getty Music, 2020.

Prince, David. Jesus the Hero: Family Devotional. Lexington, KY: Ashland Avenue Baptist Church, 2016.

Greidanus, Sidney. Preaching Christ from the Old Testament: A Contemporary Hermeneutical Method. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999.

Shearer, Canyon. Honing the Congregation to Be Attentive to Expository Preaching at First Baptist Church New Lebanon, Ohio. Louisville: The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2020. https://repository.sbts.edu/handle/10392/6133 (Read specifically on the Road to Emmaus starting on page 26)

Better Chaplain Series - Do Not Grow Weary in Doing Good

Ministry to the military can be hard for local churches as well as chaplains. Brand new recruits find their way to your door with all sorts of strange beliefs, burdens, and sins; by the grace of God they are saved by the gospel you have been entrusted with, they begin to grow, they are fast becoming disciples, and then they move far far away. And a new recruit with stranger beliefs, burdens, and sins shows up at your door fresh out of training.

It’s a never ending washing away of all of your progress, leading to an immature church with baby Christians despite your long years and long hours of work; if you’re exhausted and discouraged by it, you’re not alone.

Then there's the counseling room with a couple who are minutes away from divorce. Through your painstaking listening, loving, reproof, homework, and a breakthrough, they begin to love each other again. Then a new couple comes in and they’re even closer to divorce than the first couple.

It’s enough to throw your hands up in the air and give up. Maybe that’s why Paul said in two letters, “Do not grow weary in doing good.” (Galatians 6:9, 1 Thessalonians 3:13) I wonder if Paul said it twice (both early in his ministry) because he was encouraging himself just as much as his hearers not to give up. Christianity takes the lowest of the low, the "guttermost" of sinners, gives us the blessing of helping them find salvation, new life, and a seat at the table of the Son of God, and while it's wonderful, it is wearisome and messy.

Chaplain, are you in a season of exhaustion, wearied by the work—albeit good—that God has given you to do? Do not grow weary of doing good, in due season you will reap, IF you do not give up. As the world tends towards entropy and the world is not growing weary in doing malice, we are given the opportunity to do good to everyone, especially those who are of the household of faith.

Some want to live within the sound of chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of Hell. ~ Charles Thomas Studd

More:

1. In John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress a man named Help (Hebrew – Ezra) spends his days on the banks of the Slough of Despond pulling drowning pilgrims out of the mire. Have you dragged anyone out of the swamp recently?

2. A constant warning for ministers is to avoid burn-out. Dave McFadden defines burn-out as mismanaged stress, taking on responsibility that is not ours. Are you feeling burnt-out? Could the reason be that you’re trying to be Jesus, instead of his ambassador? Jesus said that if you don’t preach, the rocks will cry out; so your ministry is not a necessity, but a privilege. Go and be privileged to do good. Do it in the strength of Isaiah 40:31.

3. It has long been said that the military is centuries of tradition unhindered by progress. If you’re trying to build a kingdom on earth the chaplaincy will humble you very quickly. But the people sitting in front of you, though you might not see it, are progressing because of your ministry to point them to the true and living Saviour.

4. Resources:

Go Fish. “Gotta Move.” Gotta Move. Go Fish Kids Records, 2002.

Powlison, David. Seeing with New Eyes: Counseling and the Human Condition Through the Lens of Scripture. Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2003.

Better Chaplain Series - Be a "No" Man

If 400 chaplains had already told your commander that his idea was great, would you disagree with him? What if it was a terrible idea, unrighteous, sure to start an unjust war, and in league with the forces of evil? What if standing against him cost you your comfort, earned you a large bruise on your face, and resulted in you spending the rest of your life in prison?

Do you know the story of Micaiah versus the prophets of Asherah? Take a moment to read 2 Chronicles 18:1-27 and consider what you'd do in his situation.

It's a chaplain's job to "advise leadership", to speak the truth to them even when the truth is going to make them mad. Micaiah's commander, Ahab, published his evaluation of Micaiah this way, "I hate him!" His stratification was 401 out of 401 prophets. But Micaiah's advice, if heeded, would have saved the nation a great deal of trouble, and would have at least saved Ahab's life; perhaps even his soul.

Unfortunately for Ahab, Micaiah was vindicated and Ahab was buried, and Jehoshaphat likely had those 400 lying chaplains executed (my speculation extrapolated from 2 Chronicles 18:24 and 19:3); but was Micaiah ever released? Receive an apology? An award? We don't know.

Now, Chaplain, you likely won't face life or death for standing up for the truth. But you might. I exhort you like Mordecai in exhorting his daughter (adopted) to tell the king the truth, "Perhaps you've come into the chaplaincy for just such a time as this." Would you respond like Esther who prayed, fasted, asked others to pray, and then took her own life in her hands, "I will go to the commander, though it is against the law, and if I get reprimanded, I get reprimanded." (Esther 4:14-16)? Like them, you are standing up for the Word of Life.

You shall know the truth, and the truth will set you free. How will someone know the truth if everyone agrees with every decision they've ever made?

Hear, all you peoples! ~ Micaiah

More:

1. In the Air Force our E-7's wear what we call a "roof" as a promotion stripe. The official term is a rocker, but our Senior Non-Commissioned Officers (SNCOs) take that "roof" seriously, protecting their Airmen from the ill-weather of impetuous decisions. Consider the consequences of agreeing with everything a leader says, even when there are sure to be dire consequences. Decide right now that you'll say no to horrible decisions, no matter what it costs you.

2. Jesus stood up to Pharisees, scribes, priests, governors, and kings. He declared the mission of his life, "For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world: to bear witness to the truth." If you want to be like Jesus (and I pray you do), then would it be faithful to live, "For this purpose I was born-again, and for this purpose I have been sent to the world: to bear witness to the truth."?

3. Can you think of others in the Bible who stood up to unrighteousness and sin? Was their goal to win arguments, or to speak truth in love? Do their examples and the ones I've shared stand up to the Proverb, "Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy."?

4. Have you ever asked for constructive criticism and received something like, "It was great.", "Just keep doing what you're doing.", "I loved it.", "You crushed it!" Was that helpful for your future growth? When you are asked for your opinion, give constructive criticism. Don't nit-pick, but be so involved that your input makes the whole collaboration better.

5. Resources:

Friel, Todd. Jesus Unmasked: The Truth Will Shock You. Woodstock, GA: New Leaf Publishing Group, 2014.

Trueblood, Elton. Abraham Lincoln: Theologian of American Anguish. New York: Harper & Row, 1973.

Better Chaplain Series - Don't Let It Die On Your Desk

Think about the last thing you really didn’t want to do; maybe it was a purchase request or a report or an inspection. Maybe you’re in the midst of it. Maybe it’s long overdue. Maybe you should be doing it instead of reading this article.

Is your desk (or e-mail) where projects go to die? Do you serve in a position with way too much paperwork and you’re only finishing projects because someone has to remind you?

If it’s not you, can you think of someone whose desk is a blackhole of productivity squashing procrastination? I like to think my desk isn’t that sort of place, but I can instantly think of a dozen desks that are…and the oldest thing on my to-do list is from September (writing this in January), so it probably is my desk too.

Chaplain, you are thus called:

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord, not for men. ~ Colossians 3:23

Would Jesus be happy with that report stuck in your e-mail holding up the whole process? If he was your supervisor, would you make sure you turned in a quality product?

Maybe you’re thinking that what you're holding is unjust and by delaying the process you’re helping someone. Passive aggressiveness is never the answer, so if it’s unjust, you need to disapprove it and fight it, but move it off your desk! If it’s wrong, say so and call for improvement.

If your desk is renowned for holding up whole processes, then repent, and press towards the upward call your have in Christ Jesus your Lord. I’ll log-off now, I have a September item on my list to go check off.

More:

1. In the “Zero Inbox” technique of e-mail management we’re told not to read an e-mail twice, but to make a decision on it, and either respond immediately, or make a task to respond. Teddy Roosevelt said, “In the moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.” Indecision should never be the mark of a Christian, was Jesus ever indecisive?

2. Read Luke 14:21, what is the speed by which God expects us to respond?

3. But we say, the problem is with bureaucracy! Why then does Ecclesiastes 5:9 say that it is gain for a land to have a king involved in plowing fields? If your bureaucracy is running poorly, perhaps the problem is who looks at you when you look in the mirror.

4. Resources:

Got Questions Ministries. “What does the Bible Say about Procrastination?” GotQuestions.org. Accessed 13 January 2025. https://www.gotquestions.org/procrastination-Bible.html

Slugs and Bugs. Whatever You Do (Colossians 3:17,23), on Sing the Bible with Slugs and Bugs, Volume 1, Slugs and Bugs Music, 2014.

Perman, Matt. What’s Best Next: How the Gospel Transforms the Way You Get Things Done. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2014.

Newport, Cal. Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World. New York: Grand Central Publishing, 2016.

Better Chaplain Series - Bigger is Not Better

The deacon Philip is one of my favorite preachers in the Bible. God scattered the infant church into the world and Philip originally landed in Samaria. Here he won a great apologetic victory over a leading false teacher, and joy and salvation, healing, baptism, church planting, and amazement abounded. It was the definition of revival, and Philip was at the center of it.

Then Philip is directed by God to pick up and move to a desert place. It's a desert place because there is very little water, but it's more of a desert because there were very few people. No joy, no salvation, no healing, no baptisms, no churches, and no amazement save for what Philip brought with him.

I wonder if Philip was tempted to throw his hands up in the air and question God why he had to move from a feast to a famine, from a paradise to a desert, from abundant ministry to a lot of quiet time.

Chaplain, has God ever called you from a revival to a drought? Have you spent years at one duty station building towards revival only to see it passed on to other shepherds? Does your new duty station look like a desert? Doesn't God appreciate your talents and your ministry and your impact? Doesn't he need you?

The truth is, God doesn't need you, but he opts to use you, and sometimes he puts you in the desert for your good and his glory. I don't know about Philip, but I know about me, and I've been tempted to see myself as the catalyst for church growth, that I'm some sort of savior for struggling people and ministries...God has a unique way of humbling us when that happens.

I'm not perfect. But, Jesus is perfect! I'm not holy. But, Jesus is holy! I'm not righteous. But, Jesus is righteous. I'm not perfect love, but Jesus is perfect love. Apart from Jesus, I'm not perfect, holy, righteous, or loving...but apart from me, he still is perfect, holy, righteous, and loving. So, who needs who? I need him! He doesn't need me! And likewise, you need him, and you don't need me! ~ Eric Ludy

But then Philip learns why he's in the desert when God uses him to lead a man to Christ. The man is going the wrong way to find faith and the truth, but God gives him what he needs: a Bible and a preacher to show him Christ (Romans 10:14-17). And then the Spirit transferred Philip to a new ministry in Azotus and Caesarea, and guess what he did there? He preached.

Go and do likewise, after reading Acts 8:4-40 for encouragement.

More:

1. Have you had mountaintop experiences and valley experiences in your Christian life and ministry? Was God faithful in both? Were there victories in the valley that can encourage you and others today?

2. Elijah found himself hunted and in despair after a great victory on Mount Carmel; God uses the experience to humble Elijah and call Elisha. Elijah's time in the desert was intense, but God, as always, proved himself faithful (See 1 Kings 19). Why might God put you through the desert?

3. Jonah was called from a thriving ministry in Israel to a hostile desert land in Assyria. Though Jonah was not happy about it at all, God won one of his greatest victories there only dwarfed by the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the salvation of your soul. I wouldn't change a thing about Jonah's story, and I'm sure he wouldn't either. What would you change about your story?

4. Chaplain Preston Taylor said after his desert experience that nearly took his life, "Never doubt in the darkness what you learned in the light," and Ross King puts his spin on it, "Let me believe in the desert what I believed by the riverside." Consider memorizing both of those quotes and putting them to work.

5. Resources:

King, Ross, "Believe in the Desert," Unfinished, Garden Entertainment, 2021.

Shearer, Canyon. Honing the Congregation to Be Attentive to Expository Preaching at First Baptist Church New Lebanon, Ohio. Louisville: The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2020. https://repository.sbts.edu/handle/10392/6133 (Read specifically on Philip starting on page 31)

Better Chaplain Series - Make It Awkward

Common advice to new chaplains is, "Don't be awkward!" or "Don't be weird!" I asked a senior chaplain recently to elaborate on that statement and the consensus seems to be: don't assume your hobbies are your ministry. Specific examples were chaplains that talked about sci-fi at every opportunity and dressed up in cosplay for squadron parties. In that sense, don't be awkward!

But in a godly sense, ministry requires awkward conversations. Herod Antipas, Tetrarch (sort of a king, sort of a governor, sort of a councilman) of Judea in the early First Century, had married the wife of his brother: open adultery. John the Baptist continuously rebuked Herod, and made Herod's wife exceedingly angry. Herod, to his credit, did listen to John, but did not act on the righteous and holy things being said. Herod, in another act of lust, ultimately had John the Baptist executed. (Read Mark 6:17-29)

It is awkward to rebuke a king, and while we know Herod's final state, his eternity and progeny was almost changed because John was not afraid to bring tension into their relationship, nor risk to his own life. Multitudes have been encouraged (a word which literally means to put-courage-in) by John's example, and many many lives have been changed.

As a chaplain sometimes you have to knock on a door or walk into a room where people don't want to hear the truth or what you have to say. Do it anyways. Make calls that say, "You know what you're supposed to do, why aren't you doing it?" Did you hear a rumor that might not be true? Run it to ground; people appreciate when you help the truth come out and that you cared enough about them to try. See sin in someone that they can't see? Call it out!

I was mentored early in my career on how to take unnecessary awkwardness out of mandatory conversations. In that instance we needed to talk to one person in a cubicle farm; instead of walking directly to their desk and confronting them we talked to every cubicle on the way to their desk, then asked important questions that seemed like just a normal unit engagement. It removed embarrassment that would not have helped the situation; but we have to be cognizant that difficult discussions require risk of embarrassment.

A common counseling question that cuts straight to the heart is, "What don't you want me to know that I need to know?" AWKWARD! But I shudder at how many counseling sessions I've wasted talking about symptoms when the heart issues were much deeper. How much time and pain could have been saved if I'd asked, "Are you telling me the truth?" "Did you hit your spouse?" or "Why aren't you obeying God?" "What sort of fruit would an unbeliever be producing in this situation?"

Make it awkward, for Jesus' sake.

More:

1. How many times did Jesus escalate the drama in situations by saying things that inflamed his audience? Is Proverbs 15:1, "A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger" a command or a principle? How Christlike can you be if no-one has ever tried to crucify you?

2. Paul is recorded as opposing Peter to his face. Was the truth helped or hindered by Paul's boldness? Was the friendship and brotherhood between Paul and Peter helped or hindered?

3. No-one wants to have awkward conversations, but they often end with great results. Memorize, "For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." (Hebrews 12:11)

4. Resources:

York, Hershael and Bert Decker. Preaching With Bold Assurance: A Solid and Enduring Approach to Engaging Exposition. Nashville: B&H Publishing, 2003.

Dallimore, Arnold. George Whitefield: The Life and Times of the Great Evangelist of the Eighteenth-Century Revival - Volume 2. Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth Trust, 1980.

Adams, Jay. How to Help People Change: The Four-Step Biblical Process. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1986.

The "Awkward Turtle" hand-gesture from so many youth groups

Better Chaplain Series - No Drifting Allowed!

It's generally recommended for new commanders to come in first to observe, then to make changes over the coming weeks. You've probably heard a new commander say something like, "All standing orders remain in effect." There is wisdom in not coming in and tearing up all existing policies and decisions without knowing the why behind them.

But, without clear and decisive leadership, which way does an organization drift? The tendency is to get lax on regulations, and to become bloated with red tape, committees, and policies (often contradictory). Have you ever seen an organization drift into decency and order and efficiency?

There is a reason Jesus didn't say,

The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand! Become incrementally better and better until you've reached the goal, and work towards forward movement in the belief department. ~ Not Mark 1:15

One of the hardest parts of being a chaplain is the constant changes of assignment and station, but a true blessing in these moves is that you can evaluate whether you're holding to your first love, or if tradition and compromise have taken over your ministry.

But if you're caught in a downward drift (the only kind), there is still hope, as seen in the Conservative Resurgence of the Southern Baptist Convention 30 years ago, or the Wesleyan movement of the Methodist Church in the last ten years, the Downgrade Controversy that lost Charles Spurgeon many friends of 150 years ago, or the Reformation in the 1500s where many men and women shed their blood for the truth. Just because you've done it wrong in the past does not mean you have to do it wrong in the future.

But you won't drift there, you must make a radical repentant change to the truth.

You might say, "Brother Paul, if I stand up and say these things in my church they'll kill me." Then go die. ~ Paul Washer

More:

1. Consider the ministries of Josiah and Nehemiah; did they slowly bring the nation back to the truth, or did they make major changes based on the Word of God? Can you think of other examples of clear decision leading to godliness either inside or outside of the Bible?

2. The International Missions Board of the Southern Baptist Convention called for churches not to ask, "What's wrong with what we're doing?" but to ask, "What is right with what we're doing?" Is it possible that you've been weighted down with all sorts of sins and traditions that beset so easily? Notice that in Hebrews 12:1 that it's not just sin to watch out for.

3. You'll lose friends for standing for the truth and cancelling unhelpful programs. Ask yourself Paul's question from Galatians 1:10, "Am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ."

4. Resources:

Murray, Iain H. The Forgotten Spurgeon. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth Trust, 1966.

Mohler, R. Albert. "Don't Just Do Something, Stand There." YouTube. Louisville, KY: The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, August 31, 1993. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OLHcCSgi2k

Luther, Martin. 95 Theses. Wittenburg: Castle Church Door, 1517.