Dadalogue Deployed: Easter Sunday

He is risen!

Happy Easter to everyone.  It’s the day Christ rose from the dead after being crucified on the cross - a magnificent sacrifice so that we may have eternal life. That is never far from my mind, Easter Sunday or not.

In Afghanistan, most don’t hear about this Good News. A little Internet research shows the Christian population of Afghanistan to range between 0.02% and 0.05%. Full disclosure: This was a quick search. I didn’t dig very deep. However, my educated guess is that, that percentage is pretty accurate.

Still, in the midst of a Christ-less country, there is a safe haven for Christians. A place we can go and worship. Nearly every base here has a chapel. They’re multi-denominational, but each Sunday chaplains hold a Christian service. This past Holy Week, there were several services, including one on Good Friday.

If it’s anything like the past, today, there are probably chaplains all over this country flying to remote, dangerous locations to provide Easter services to troops who don’t have the luxury of a regular chaplain.

 I think it’s great how the military cares so much about our spiritual wellbeing. But what’s even more fascinating is that there are people who are called to serve God as chaplains. Chaplains risk their lives to make sure we have the opportunity to worship God in a communal setting. They preach the Word while the fight goes on around them, yet they are not armed with a weapon. They don’t have to be here – they could be back in the U.S. standing behind a pulpit that isn’t made out of scrap plywood. They could be going home to a comfortable bed every night, yet they’re here with us, living out of the same tents we do. They could have easily picked a safer way to answer God’s call to serve. But they didn’t. They heard God speak, and they obeyed.

And, here we are - standing, singing, praising God in the middle of a country where 99.95% of the people don’t know that Jesus saves. We hear the Word, and we are fed. It’s refreshing, recharging, and encouraging.

So while I may not have an Easter egg hunt and a basket full of chocolate bunnies, jelly beans and Peeps this year, I’m certainly getting what’s most important: A chance to corporately worship and celebrate the fact that Christ is risen.

He is risen indeed!

Is Tebow good for our children?

I admit, I've caught Tebowitis or Tebowmania or Tebowrama ... whatever it's called, I have it.

I love the fact that Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow is baffling sports pundits and haters as to his success, despite their so-called "statistical proof" he's bad. I love his humble attitude on the field, and his coolness during press conferences. And I especially love his public displays of his faith in Jesus Christ - Tebowing as it's now called.

He's a polarizing figure which makes for really good water cooler discussions. He's also a great segue for Christians to share their faith without coming across as too preachy or pushy.  But all this hype, and an e-mail from my grandmother, got me to thinking is he a good role model for our kids? Is he taking away something that should be a parent's role? Is the religious hype surrounding him misguided?

Tebow is in the same shoes (or cleats, as it were) thousands of athletes and other celebrities have worn -  he is looked up to and idolized by millions for the mere fact he's in the public spotlight. It doesn't hurt that he's squeaky clean too. Back in my preteen days, that guy was Michael Jordan (remember the "I Wanna be Like Mike" Gatorade commercial?). For a Christian kid it's gotta be huge to be able to have someone who is outspoken about their faith, but is still considered "cool." As Christian parents, it's easy to let our kids get caught up in the hype without so much as talking to them about it.

I question how healthy it is for kids to idolizing a famous person no matter how wholesome they seem. Not that long ago, many admirers were crushed when they found out about Tiger Woods' marital indiscretions. I certainly didn't see that coming. But his case serves as a good example of what happens when you put your faith in or idolize someone other than God.

I just got finished reading the book of Judges for my quiet time. This whole book in the Bible is devoted to how time and time again God's people strayed away and worshiped false idols, then paid a hefty price when their enemies killed or enslaved them. It was only through God's forgiveness were they able to live peacefully.

I doubt Tebow views himself as a worshiped idol (even though he may be to some), but I also think that he's very careful about the image he portrays. That's a lot of pressure for one person. There are people out there watching and waiting for him to make one little slip-up so they can exploit it. And frankly, he probably will. He's human. He's not Jesus Christ - the only perfect being to walk on this earth. I can also see many people getting upset for whatever that mistake is. If history is any indication, instead of forgiving Tebow, they'll unfairly blame him for letting them and their kids down.

As Christian parents, we need to strive to be our children's role models. It's too important of a job to leave for someone we see on TV, no matter how charming they appear. Kids catch mere glimpses of their favorite celebrity's life. However, they see everything we do, they hear everything we say. For those of us who've dedicated our children at church, we vowed before our God and our congregation to raise them in a Christian household with Christian values. We didn't vow that job on someone else.

The other part of this is when we let our kids listen to the unfiltered public conversation about Tebow's faith, they're hearing mass media's take on religion - not the truth. That e-mail my grandmother sent was a "Stillspeaking Daily Devotional" she gets. In it Lillian Daniel, a minister for a First Congregational Church, asserts that it's flawed theology to think that Tim Tebow is winning because he has God's favor (an assertion made by Tebow's pastor). I know that pastor isn't the only one - my Facebook feed explodes with that thinking every time Tebow wins (After a loss we all saw something like, "Guess God is a Patriots fan. LOL.") Daniel said there are no doubt others out there praying just as hard for the opposing teams. Why didn't they win the games? 

Things like touchdowns are "human affairs," she wrote. "God doesn't reward one player with a touchdown and curse another. God gives us the instructions on how to withstand the hard times, and how to withstand the good times, with these wise words from Micah: do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with your God."

Daniel makes a very good point. The Broncos aren't winning because Tebow is Christian and he prays really hard for a win. But that's the tone the national conversation is taking as to the reason behind his supposed out-of-nowhere success. With that thinking, we'd all just have to pray for our millions of dollars, big homes, and perfect families. God simply doesn't work that way.

No doubt, God is doing some awesome things in Tim Tebow's life. He's probably got some big plans for the young quarterback. Maybe he's the tool God will use to spread the gospel to those who see their couch as the pew and Mike Ditka as their pastor. I don't know. I look forward to watching what happens.

What I do know is that God didn't intend is for Tebow to be the one we go to. We find that by Tebowing - getting down on one knee, bowing our head, and praying to our Father.

What, me worry?

One of my favorite guilty pleasures as a child was probably MAD magazine. The magazine probably was a little too old for me, and I'm not entirely sure my parents knew I read it, but I laughed at the goofy artwork and the dark humor of strips like Spy vs. Spy. I also remember the weird looking kid that always appeared in the magazine, usually on the cover - Alfred E. Neuman and his signature phrase, "What, me worry?"

Yes.

I worry. I worry a lot. Probably more than is healthy. And this pending deployment and all that it involves has pegged my worry meter. I worry about everything from the cross-country trip we're about to make to move my wife and kids back East for the year to finances to the stresses that work has placed on me.

It's funny how God intercedes though. He doesn't just *poof* make all the worry go away, but He certainly has a way of reminding me who's really boss. The title of yesterday's sermon - truly at a moment I felt completely overwhelmed - was "Time to Let Go of Worry." (You'll be able to listen to it here once it's posted.)

Pastor Chico delivered this sermon at just the right time, and it was exactly what I needed to here.

"Do not worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks." - Philippians 4:6

Easier said than done, especially for a pathological worrier like me. By worrying I am essentially telling God I don't trust His promises. Ouch. For little ol' me to tell the Creator I don't trust him is pretty bold.


Pastor Chico then laid out the reasons why we shouldn't worry:
- It's unnatural (We don't worry about the right things anyway)
- It's unhelpful (Nothing happens when you worry)
- It's unnecessary (God has already promised to supply all our needs)
- It's unchristian (According to one commentator the pastor quoted, "Worry is practical atheism")

Instead, our pastor suggested we put God first before all else (Matt. 6:33), don't live in the past or future (Matt. 6:34), and take all worries to God (Matt. 6:30).

I have precious few days left with my family before I depart. I could fill them with worry and stress and a sour attitude about everything that's going on. That would be unfortunate - I'd be ruining time that I could be making wonderful memories with my wife and children.

Thank you God for that message at church yesterday.

My worries are Yours.

The Secret to Successful Parenting

I think one of the secrets to successful parenting is having a strong church family.

Since we've been married my wife and I have made it a priority in our lives to be a part of a church and to get involved. Connecting with a small group has introduced us to others that share a love of Jesus Christ in an intimate environment, and we've both grown in our faith because of this.

Hearing the pastor preach on Sunday mornings is important, but often that message only goes one way. In our small group our faith becomes a discussion. Steel sharpens steel, and there is no better example of this to me than the conversations we have in our small group.

We've seen the positive impacts of being in a church small group grow since having children. As a military family far away from our parents, we've been able to have a support system close to us where ever we've been stationed. Being able to interact and share stories with other like-minded parents and adults has been a blessing.

Another blessing has been the generosity of our church family. The clothes, toys and other baby needs given to us after having both kids has been overwhelming. These are major expenses that we've been able to avoid, and we are truly grateful. We hope to be able to do the same for others in the future.

I also believe our involvement with a small group will become more important as our children grow and they begin to understand who Jesus is. Faith, to them, will not just be inside a bubble in our house. It will be something they see their parents live out in other environments. They'll also be able to play with other children being raised in Christian households. When our children begin to develop their own sense of what religion is, I believe all these interactions will have a positive influence on their decisions. As Christian parents who's prayers are for their children to someday follow our footsteps in faith, these interactions and relationships are so critical.

We love all the people we've met and gotten to know in our small groups as the military has moved us around. Because of them the burdens of parenting have been lighter and the joys have been greater. I thank God for them all.

Saying Goodbye

The family we had in town for the last couple weeks leaves today.

While our house will be back to "normal," I'm sad to have to say goodbye. I know that Grace enjoyed having her two cousins around. She finally had pint-sized playmates besides the dog almost 24/7. Timothy had more than enough people to hold and rock him, and The Wife and I had other adults to talk to (simple things, really).

There's more to this goodbye for me though. What kept me from falling back asleep this morning - besides Timothy wriggling in  my arms fighting off his own sleep - was the realization that this goodbye means I'm closer to the one I've been dreading for a while now.

In the not-to-distant future I'll be separated from my family for a year.

A whole year.

Those words are like a punch in the gut every time I think about them.

I've deployed before. My wife and I were barely six months into our first year of marriage when I went to Afghanistan. Half of our first "honeymoon" year was through bad phone connections, e-mail, and grainy video chats.

While that deployment was certainly difficult at times, this is going to be even tougher. I'm going for twice as long and now there's two kids who grow and change every day. That's 365 days of change I'll miss.

I know that my wife and kids will be well taken care of while I'm gone, and I'm going to be busy most of the time, but I'm sad knowing I'll miss Timothy's first steps, Grace's ever-expanding vocabulary grow into full sentences, and the fact that The Wife has to balance everything on her own. She didn't ask to be a single mother, and yet my service is forcing that for a while.

Don't get me wrong though. I'm proud of what I do, and my wife supports and helped make the decision that I should stay in the Marines. It was a decision made with lots of prayer, and we believe this is where God wants me right now. We'll make it through, just like we did at the beginning of our marriage.

But goodbyes suck.

Whether it's goodbye after two weeks with your sister and her amazing family, or it's goodbye to the people that complete your life.

Goodbyes suck.