As of last Wednesday, Phase 2 ended with a bang! The last week has been quite a journey. The Purity Conference at Chapel Next was AWESOME! The greatest thing I came away from the conference with is the necessity of being in the Word of God. How can we expect to live pure lives outside of an intentional daily devotion to the Word of God? Wednesday was the PT Test and it was successfully completed. Hooah!
This week we have had some awesome classes, but they have definitely challenged me. From grief counseling to mass casualty to death notifications - heavy subjects - awesome responsibilities. Definitely a gut check. We closed Friday out with a Gold Star Panel of families who have lost a hero, a Soldier in the War on Terror. Friends, this is as real as it gets. Listening to their stories deeply impacted me. I thank God for their Soldier's service and pray for God's continued comfort for their supreme sacrifice! Do not forget to pray for our Soldiers, but waiting back home is a family that is measuring every minute until their hero returns home.
A busy week lies ahead. We go to Capstone this week - a whole week in the field with 100+ degree temperatures. It is going to be an awesome week with little, to no PPT. My wife will be here in 16 days, and I will be leaving Ft. Jackson in 20 days. Can I get an AMEN? Looking forward to going home to my family, friends, and church. Blessings to you all!
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Sunday, July 17, 2011
The Washing of Our Tears
It has been a great week of CH-BOLC with a few surprises, but praise the Lord for His provision. This past Friday we spent the entire day focused on Military Ramp Ceremonies, Memorial Services, Memorial Ceremonies, and Graveside Services. This block of instruction may seem quite morbid to those outside the sphere of the Chaplaincy, but I must say it was one of the best blocks of instruction thus far. As Chaplains we have 2 primary statutory obligations: perform or provide for worship each Sunday and perform or provide funeral services. This is further expanded in the 3 major functions of the Chaplain: Nurture the living, care for the wounded, and honor the fallen.
Honor the Fallen is one of, if not the most important task of the Chaplain. It may be hard for many to understand, unless you have experienced the brotherhood of arms (although Chaplains do not bear arms). Well I digress...during this block of instruction we had the honor of watching a mach memorial service led by our Cadre. It was abundantly evident that each of the Chaplains participating was deeply moved even in this mach ceremony. I imagine that each of them could see the faces of Soldiers that they had the honor of knowing, praying with, serving as ministers to, and honoring in their passing. As I witnessed our Cadre visibly moved as they taught us this block of instruction, I could not help but be moved also. I applaud them for the vulnerability that they exhibited.
Today has been a great day. Chapel Next was AWESOME this morning! It's an awesome thing when you have a group of Chaplains rotating the preaching responsibilities from week to week, but each week seems as anointed as the last, and in each message you can sense the hand of God moving in your life. I wondered what the worship would be like at Ft. Jackson, and whether I would find a Chapel service that spoke to me. For me Chapel Next is my church home away from home. The services are so anointed, the preaching is fantastic, the worship is free, and the fellowship is awesome!
Well 5 weeks left. I am sure that it will pass by quick. We have 2 outings this week to Charleston and to the Fort Jackson Cemetery. Looking forward to both of these outings. Miss all my family and friends, but only 5 weeks left! I continue to covet your prayers! Feel free to e-mail me - would love to hear from you! God bless!
Honor the Fallen is one of, if not the most important task of the Chaplain. It may be hard for many to understand, unless you have experienced the brotherhood of arms (although Chaplains do not bear arms). Well I digress...during this block of instruction we had the honor of watching a mach memorial service led by our Cadre. It was abundantly evident that each of the Chaplains participating was deeply moved even in this mach ceremony. I imagine that each of them could see the faces of Soldiers that they had the honor of knowing, praying with, serving as ministers to, and honoring in their passing. As I witnessed our Cadre visibly moved as they taught us this block of instruction, I could not help but be moved also. I applaud them for the vulnerability that they exhibited.
Today has been a great day. Chapel Next was AWESOME this morning! It's an awesome thing when you have a group of Chaplains rotating the preaching responsibilities from week to week, but each week seems as anointed as the last, and in each message you can sense the hand of God moving in your life. I wondered what the worship would be like at Ft. Jackson, and whether I would find a Chapel service that spoke to me. For me Chapel Next is my church home away from home. The services are so anointed, the preaching is fantastic, the worship is free, and the fellowship is awesome!
Well 5 weeks left. I am sure that it will pass by quick. We have 2 outings this week to Charleston and to the Fort Jackson Cemetery. Looking forward to both of these outings. Miss all my family and friends, but only 5 weeks left! I continue to covet your prayers! Feel free to e-mail me - would love to hear from you! God bless!
Thursday, July 14, 2011
In the Embrace of God
God is so good! I wish that there were words that could adequately express how wonderful my God is. I see His hand at work all around me. This past Sunday CH Mills preached on Sabbath at Chapel Next. What an awesome word! He preached with passion and conviction! It is so nice to be sitting under Godly preaching here at Fort Jackson.
Speaking of Godly preaching, Tuesday we were blessed to have hours of Godly preaching as we sat under the preaching of our squad members. God truly moved as they preached their Garrison sermons. I could have stayed there all day listening to them as God moved through their preaching.
Well, yesterday I was honored to spend 9 1/2 hours as a patient of the Moncrief Army Hospital. After an exhausting day at the hospital, I was blessed to encounter the compassion of my platoon, my squad, and my SGL. I was covered in prayer by my brothers and sisters in Christ. It is humbling when you receive encouraging phone calls, persistent prayers, and the loving embrace of the body of Christ.
I regret that due to my illness I was unable to go to Victory Ranch, which I was really looking forward to. Now I am on quarters for 48 hours. Hopefully by Friday I will be back on top of things again.
Again, thanks for the prayers and words of support and encouragement from back home. God bless!
Speaking of Godly preaching, Tuesday we were blessed to have hours of Godly preaching as we sat under the preaching of our squad members. God truly moved as they preached their Garrison sermons. I could have stayed there all day listening to them as God moved through their preaching.
Well, yesterday I was honored to spend 9 1/2 hours as a patient of the Moncrief Army Hospital. After an exhausting day at the hospital, I was blessed to encounter the compassion of my platoon, my squad, and my SGL. I was covered in prayer by my brothers and sisters in Christ. It is humbling when you receive encouraging phone calls, persistent prayers, and the loving embrace of the body of Christ.
I regret that due to my illness I was unable to go to Victory Ranch, which I was really looking forward to. Now I am on quarters for 48 hours. Hopefully by Friday I will be back on top of things again.
Again, thanks for the prayers and words of support and encouragement from back home. God bless!
Monday, July 4, 2011
1/2 Way Done
CIMT and Phase 1 are complete, now on to Phase 2 of CH-BOLC. We are now getting into the meat of our course of instruction and I am very excited about that. Please pray for me - 2nd PT test this week. This long weekend is ending in a few hours, and I must say that Ft. Jackson is a lonely, boring place when you are among the few who did not go home for the long weekend. Glad we are back at it tomorrow - that seems strange to say, but it's true. Looking forward to meeting all our new classmates (64 of them) arriving for Phase 2 and 3. I continue to covet all your prayers.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Did I mention I hate ladders?
Well today could adequately be described as a pucker factor day! I hate ladders. I mean I hate ladders! And I definitely have a fear of falling from ladders or other less than sturdy areas of height. Well that brings me to todays confidence course or as Chaplain Smith put it, "The destroy your confidence course." We had 4 obstacles - 3 of which were ladder type apparatus'.
The 1st a 40' section of 4 platforms separated by enough distance that you could only reach your hands to the next deck and pull yourself up/as well as being pulled/pushed up to each deck by the other members of the 4 person team. Oh, and did I mention that the decks were all the same size, so you had to lean over the edge to accomplish all this b/c there was no ledge to stand on. Fun, fun - not!
Another obstacle was some 70' in height. You climbed this tower that you could barely reach your legs between the rungs b/c of the distance, and then when you reached the top you had to lie on your back with your head facing the ground, hold on to the rope, throw your feet over the top of the rope, and make your way downward head 1st. Whew!
Another challenge - a 70-80' tower straight up that is nothing more than a bigger ladder with large expanses between the rungs. Once you reach the top, you must climb over and make your way down. And I forgot that all these 3 obstacles seemed to sway slightly. Inspiring confidence!
The last obstacle was easier - a set of 6 walls increasing in height that must be scaled using the entire team. Much easier than the other 3 obstacles.
Good new is this - I lived through it! I am not certain I am any more confident about climbing ladders than when this day began. Fun to be an Army Chaplain! Wish you all could have been there. Thanks be to God that He watched over us today!
A Faithful Pilgrim.
The 1st a 40' section of 4 platforms separated by enough distance that you could only reach your hands to the next deck and pull yourself up/as well as being pulled/pushed up to each deck by the other members of the 4 person team. Oh, and did I mention that the decks were all the same size, so you had to lean over the edge to accomplish all this b/c there was no ledge to stand on. Fun, fun - not!
Another obstacle was some 70' in height. You climbed this tower that you could barely reach your legs between the rungs b/c of the distance, and then when you reached the top you had to lie on your back with your head facing the ground, hold on to the rope, throw your feet over the top of the rope, and make your way downward head 1st. Whew!
Another challenge - a 70-80' tower straight up that is nothing more than a bigger ladder with large expanses between the rungs. Once you reach the top, you must climb over and make your way down. And I forgot that all these 3 obstacles seemed to sway slightly. Inspiring confidence!
The last obstacle was easier - a set of 6 walls increasing in height that must be scaled using the entire team. Much easier than the other 3 obstacles.
Good new is this - I lived through it! I am not certain I am any more confident about climbing ladders than when this day began. Fun to be an Army Chaplain! Wish you all could have been there. Thanks be to God that He watched over us today!
A Faithful Pilgrim.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
CIMT Done!
CIMT - the basic training phase, i.e. mini-boot camp is done. Yeah! Most of the next 60 days of Phases 1-3 will be death by PPT with a few welcomed interruptions into the field for confidence courses & Capstone. 30 days complete and in the books is a nice thing to have behind me. I can honestly say that it can get boring here when you are off, but I thank God for the friends I have made that provide much needed distractions from the boredom of my hotel room. Today has been an uneventful, relaxing b-day. I felt so lazy this morning. I did not wake up until 8:40 when the cleaning lady knocked on my door. Have not slept that late since I have been here. Most mornings during the week (Mon-Fri) its PT at 5:30 and then the rest of your day, but on the weekends when you are not consumed with course work its a much more leisurely pace.
We have to go to 5 different chapel services and do a report of the different styles/denominational practices. I am going to my 5th different one in the morning - Church of Christ. I have already been to LDS, Catholic, Contemporary, & Anglican/Liturgical. I love Chapel Next, the contemporary service - they have great fellowship and its an inviting atmosphere where I feel free to express myself in worship. I feel like I am being spiritually nourished as I worship at Chapel Next!
It has rained more here in the 30 days of CIMT than all of this year in East Texas. It generally comes in the late afternoon or evening with thunderstorms. Reminds me of the typical south LA afternoons! It's raining pretty hard right now.
I miss you all deeply and anxiously await seeing you come August. Until then please continue to pray for me, my family, and my church ( NHBC). Thanks for all the prayers! Happy Fathers Day to my wonderful dad who has taught me what it is to be a great son, husband, & father! Happy Fathers Day to my Father-in-law, who is the most patient man I know. Happy Father's Day to my brother Scott and my brother-in-law Matt! And to all fathers, Happy Father's Day! Being a father is an awesome blessing and I love my children - Courtney, Jonah, Abbigayle, & Elijah!
We have to go to 5 different chapel services and do a report of the different styles/denominational practices. I am going to my 5th different one in the morning - Church of Christ. I have already been to LDS, Catholic, Contemporary, & Anglican/Liturgical. I love Chapel Next, the contemporary service - they have great fellowship and its an inviting atmosphere where I feel free to express myself in worship. I feel like I am being spiritually nourished as I worship at Chapel Next!
It has rained more here in the 30 days of CIMT than all of this year in East Texas. It generally comes in the late afternoon or evening with thunderstorms. Reminds me of the typical south LA afternoons! It's raining pretty hard right now.
I miss you all deeply and anxiously await seeing you come August. Until then please continue to pray for me, my family, and my church ( NHBC). Thanks for all the prayers! Happy Fathers Day to my wonderful dad who has taught me what it is to be a great son, husband, & father! Happy Fathers Day to my Father-in-law, who is the most patient man I know. Happy Father's Day to my brother Scott and my brother-in-law Matt! And to all fathers, Happy Father's Day! Being a father is an awesome blessing and I love my children - Courtney, Jonah, Abbigayle, & Elijah!
Saturday, June 11, 2011
We're Not 18 Anymore
This week has been an exhausting week physically, and yet a rewarding week mentally and spiritually. To start - muscle failure days are legit! There is no shortage of sweating, grunting, and negotiating with your body and the pain it is enduring on these days. I have done exercises that I have never seen before. Let's just say I did not know my body could stretch like that! Or hurt like that!
We also spent 2 full days in the field doing land navigation at day & night, along with the 5 second dash, high and low crawling in the sand pit; plus running and diving behind barriers as we navigated a course designed to simulate combat situations where the chaplain assistance guides the chaplain safely from point to point; and to top it all off - the night infiltration course where we crawled 88 meters through the sand over logs & other obstacles, and under sections of razor wire while they fired machine guns overheard - sweet niblets that was fun. But let me honest, I am not 18, and that is the average age of the person going through this course, so 21 years on the other side of 18 I feel blessed to physically be able to navigate these courses. Let me not kid myself though - at the end each of these nights, I was flat out wore out - spent - nothing left in the gas tank.
I am thankful for the friends I have made here a Ch-BOLC, but I am also sad because 50% of our class will be leaving in the next 3 weeks. We have come together so well, and so to see them leave is sad. The word is that our class is going to grow in the next 3 weeks, b/c as those 50% leave, we will inherit new chaplains/chaplain candidates who will pick up where they left off in previous Ch-BOLC classes. Good luck to all who will be leaving and to all who will be joining us!
3 weeks are in the book - done - finished! Hooah! I am loving this training. I miss my family, but I know I am where God wants me to be - a missionary to our soldiers as I continue to serve in the local church also. Once again, I continue to covet your prayers! Please keep in touch through e-mail only at srevjds@gmail.com or joseph.d.sherwin@us.army.mil.
A Fellow Pilgrim.
We also spent 2 full days in the field doing land navigation at day & night, along with the 5 second dash, high and low crawling in the sand pit; plus running and diving behind barriers as we navigated a course designed to simulate combat situations where the chaplain assistance guides the chaplain safely from point to point; and to top it all off - the night infiltration course where we crawled 88 meters through the sand over logs & other obstacles, and under sections of razor wire while they fired machine guns overheard - sweet niblets that was fun. But let me honest, I am not 18, and that is the average age of the person going through this course, so 21 years on the other side of 18 I feel blessed to physically be able to navigate these courses. Let me not kid myself though - at the end each of these nights, I was flat out wore out - spent - nothing left in the gas tank.
I am thankful for the friends I have made here a Ch-BOLC, but I am also sad because 50% of our class will be leaving in the next 3 weeks. We have come together so well, and so to see them leave is sad. The word is that our class is going to grow in the next 3 weeks, b/c as those 50% leave, we will inherit new chaplains/chaplain candidates who will pick up where they left off in previous Ch-BOLC classes. Good luck to all who will be leaving and to all who will be joining us!
3 weeks are in the book - done - finished! Hooah! I am loving this training. I miss my family, but I know I am where God wants me to be - a missionary to our soldiers as I continue to serve in the local church also. Once again, I continue to covet your prayers! Please keep in touch through e-mail only at srevjds@gmail.com or joseph.d.sherwin@us.army.mil.
A Fellow Pilgrim.
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