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      Children are a gift from God Jesus had a special love for children. There is a story in the Bible about how some mothers wanted Jesus to touch their babies and bless them. However, as they came to Jesus, his disciples kept them from approaching him. Perhaps they thought Jesus was too busy, or maybe that little babies weren’t worth his time. How did Jesus react? He became angry. In fact, the word used to describe how Jesus responded is only used in this one story. It says Jesus became “indignant.” Jesus told his followers, “Let...

ALI BASE, Iraq, Aug. 24, 2005 — When Army Spc. Jacob Boomsaad fell in love with a fellow soldier while serving in Iraq, he feared he would have to delay the wedding until almost six months after returning from their deployment to marry in a Catholic church. That is until the specialist with the 2nd Battalion, 142nd Infantry Regiment from the Texas Army National Guard met Air Force Chaplain (Capt.) Chad Zielinski from the 407th Air Expeditionary Group. Zielinski is the only U.S. military Catholic chaplain for servicemembers stationed in southeastern Iraq, and he serves the needs of airmen and...

Prison Cell To Terror Cell National Security: Muslim chaplains employed by U.S. prisons are converting inmates by the cell block, swelling their ranks beyond 250,000. Yet officials are doing next to nothing to defuse this potential powder keg.

      Physical and spiritual fitness I notice more people exercising in the Joe Dugger Fitness Center lately. I wonder if this is because spring is here and we are more in the mood to exercise, or is it because the military fitness test is coming up? Either way, it is a good thing, because exercise makes us healthier. There is such a thing as spiritual fitness as well. Navy Medicine’s second guiding principle states, “We believe health to be a complete state of physical, mental, spiritual and social well-being, not simply the absence of infirmity or disease.”...

NATO chaplains and Serb nuns in Kosovo are to launch on Monday a cleanup of a 15th century monastery burnt during the worst outbreak of ethnic violence since the province's war. The Devic monastery was among dozens of Serbian Orthodox churches and other religious sites that were burned and damaged in March last year when ethnic Albanian extremists targeted Serbs in a wave of attacks that killed 19 people and left thousands homeless. The chaplains will be led by Lt. Gen. Yves de Kermabon, the commander of the NATO-led peacekeeping force. Kosovo has been administered by a United Nations mission...

      How should I pray? Here are some thoughts on how we should pray. A story is told about George Washington and how he prayed. In the early days of our republic, a stranger once asked at Congress how he could distinguish President Washington. He was told, “You can easily distinguish him when Congress goes to prayer. Washington is the gentleman who kneels.” Kneeling is a sign of respect. It reminds us that there is someone bigger and greater than ourselves who cares for us. Psalm 95 tells us, “Come, let us bow down in worship, let...

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., Aug. 4, 2005 – In an effort to support the troops, the Liberty Baptist Church here opened its doors to Marines, sailors of the 1st Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment and their families during the Family First Seminar. The purpose of the day-long seminar was to provide advice and counseling to couples to help them better cope with the stress brought on by deployments. Those in attendance listened to speakers offer advice on subjects such as love, improving communication skills and the role of spirituality in a relationship. Other speakers quoted passages from the bible and offered personal...

The Chaplain of the Marine Corps visited the air station July 26 to express gratitude, wishes and encouragement to Marines and sailors. Rear Adm. Robert F. Burt and Master Chief Johnny Thomas, religious program specialist of the Marine Corps, shook hands and spoke to Marines and sailors from various squadrons. He also spoke to station chaplains to share his encouragement during his three-day visit of many stops throughout the station. "Our purpose in coming here is to look the Marines in the eye and tell them how great they are,” said Burt, a Springfield, Ore., native. “(We wanted) to express...

      It’s deja vu all over again Some days everything just falls into place. It was a good hair day. No, it was a great hair day. And there wasn’t a wrinkle on my face that couldn’t be nicely covered with a little make-up. But not too much -- I didn’t want to look like one of those little old ladies with a pancake face and rosebud cheeks. I didn’t have as much success hiding the hips -- but hey, at my age, one has to be happy with the little things. On May 21, my high...

Shortage of military chaplains means Paterson priest will be shipped out   Thursday, June 30, 2005 Today is the last day the Rev. Joseph Orlandi will wake up in Paterson for some time to come. Gone for a year are the sounds of downtown as it bustles to work each morning, greeted by the brassy toll of church bells.Coming soon are mornings broken in the dark by tinny whistles, barked orders and the low thump of helicopters in the distance. The sounds of a military camp coming to order.But before then, there will be two weeks in rural Italy, in...

      Persons of influence I would like you to reflect for a few moments upon the following five people. They are: Mordecai Fowler Ham; Sir Alexander Fleming; Arthur Fry; Grace Bedell; and Mike Jones. What do you think they all share in common with one another? It’s not race. It’s not age. It’s not gender, for one is a female. It’s not their educational backgrounds. Some were born decades and thousands of miles apart from each other. So, what could it be that these persons share in common? Have you guessed it yet? If you noticed that...

I first posted on the baptistry here. This is the next installment.

I have been trying to come up with a way to discuss the ONE who survived the SR near Asadabad, Afghanistan while 11 of his Teammates did not. Well, it seems that a Navy Chaplain who spent some time with him and his platoon has quite a story to tell. Hat tip to BLACKFIVE I spoke to several of this man’s Teammates in Hawaii, and it is interesting that he is a twin and his brother is a Frogman as well. Actually, each of the brothers has half of a Trident tattooed on their backs so that when they stand...

PCA Chaplains: Teach Soldiers to Live and Die By Robert J. Tamasy Day after day, distressing news bombards us about Iraq and other parts of the tumultuous Middle East: Hundreds of casualties, including U.S. troops. Insurgents continuing to stir unrest through terror. With this region gripped by such madness, we wonder what God is doing there. In reality, God is working remarkably–often using PCA-ordained and sponsored chaplains as His life-changing instruments. The chaplains’ work is not the stuff of headlines. But they are guiding soldiers to Jesus Christ through their lives as well as their words. They direct worship...

      God shed His Grace on Thee It was the bombing in London last week -- the cruel and cowardly attack of terrorists on innocent and unsuspecting civilians -- that brought floods of memories to my mind ... Memories of 9/11 and of wondering around the ruins of the World Trade Center in New York City, then sitting in the small Episcopal church that sits in what was the shadows of the towers and praying for our nation and the families of the many lost ... and thanking God for the courage and tirelessness of the rescue...

      YOU ARE NOT SUPERMAN There are times when some events of life overwhelm us. Things at home or things at work can drain us. Sometimes we sense an urge to be "Superman" or even "God." We want to "fix" things or "make everything better." In reality, this feeling can be the source of great stress and tension. We sometimes have to admit that certain things can't be fixed; certain things will not go away. Got a problem, talk about it. It may not get "fixed" or go away, but you will feel better! CAPT Thom Dansak,...

      Thoughts about God and Country Our great nation has had an illustrious history coupled with a spiritual heritage. Below are some quotes from past American presidents speaking about the relationship they believed to exist between God and our country. Please consider their thoughts as we celebrate the birth of our United States on July Fourth. We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven. We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power, as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten...

The Muslim preacher will be assigned with easing measures for the Muslim prisoners in French jails to practice their religious rituals. PARIS, May 4, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) – The French Justice Ministry is seeking the help of representatives of the French Muslim minority to appoint a Muslim chaplain-general to cater for the religious needs of Muslims prisoners doing time in French jails. Hassan Al-Alawi Al-Talibi was nominated by the French ministry to work as a chaplain for overseeing the religious teachings for the Muslim prisoners after receiving the approval from the French Council for Muslim Religion (CFCM) Tuesday, May 3. The...

      DOING WELL WHAT OTHERS MAY NOT SEE In the New Testament scriptures, the Apostle Paul talks about the importance of striving for excellence. He writes, "Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." (Philippians 4:8) Allow me to share with you a story about striving for excellence. On one of the arches of a magnificent cathedral in Europe is sculptured a face of great beauty. Yet it can be seen...

Deployed soldiers assigned to the 256th Brigade Combat Team celebrate a special Father's Day.CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq, June 22, 2005 — On Sept. 28, 1949, a child was born in Stonewall, La., with a type of bone cancer never cured by doctors. He was unable to walk and his skeleton could not support his body. His parents carried him around on a pillow for the first two-and-a-half years of his life, until the day he became a part of medical history. Destined for great things since birth, U.S. Army Lt. Col. Robert S. Baker survived, and now serves as chaplain for...