So all week we have been working through the order and looking at various COA’s (courses of action) that we can do to accomplish the order. It has been a good learning time for me to get into the military mindset besides learning some new acronyms :-) The MDMP (military decision making process) has been fascinating when you get into the details and then see how it all comes together.

They have even thrown some scenarios the Chaplains way!! We had a Red Cross message we had to respond to yesterday and I’m sure as we begin our move from one FOB (forward operating base) to another we will come across an IED with casualties – it makes me brainstorm on how I would react and what would be needed to provide for my soldier the support and pastoral care they would need. While it is impossible to cover every possible scenario it is good to consider how to react while in a safe environment rather than waiting till we’re the real thing.

Yet at the same time I am torn – wondering how things are going at St. Luke’s and with the families and individuals I care deeply about. To try and find time to do prep work and write a sermon is tough as my mindset moves from the civilian world to the military world. And then when I get an update letting me know of a parishioner in the hospital that I am unable to get to see, my heart breaks. Though at the same time I know that God is in control in both arenas – this is when the irony of how God uses the lectionary to proclaim his truth. This Sunday we look at the peace God gives so that our hearts will not be troubled. 

So as I transition out of my civilian world more and more into my military world – I can know the peace of God that he will care for and watch over all those who are on my heart and mind. Especially as I continue to prepare to go to a place lacking in peace I bring with me the Prince of Peace!!