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          BE HAPPY! "Don't worry. Be happy" I'm sure everyone has heard that song on the radio at one time or another. But I wonder if we ask ourselves, "Are we happy?" I don't mean that we should be constantly ecstatic or exuberant, but HAPPY full of that deep down inner contentment which persists even in the midst of trials and tribulations? Because we are the children of God, God is concerned and cares for us. Whatever our real needs, we can rest assured that God will fulfill them, albeit in His own time and...

Fayetteville — It's a house of worship with none of the symbols. There are no crosses or Bibles on display at the Fayetteville Veterans Affairs Medical Center chapel. Blinds cover elaborate stained glass windows. The reason is a federal policy from the 1950s, but one volunteer says it has been taken too far. Laud Pitt plans to hand out Christmas cards at the hospital Tuesday. But to do it, he says, he'll have to be escorted by the chaplain. "Isn't that a waste of money for a chaplain to spend that much time making sure I say the right thing?"...

          "AND LO, I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS" Matthew 28:20 One morning I stood on the bluffs overlooking the coast at Camp Pendleton. I spied an amphibious naval vessel just off shore. As I stood watching, it came into full view, then disappeared as the early morning fog came and went. The ship was always there, but it was only visible part of the time. It spoke to me of the reality of God's presence. The truth is God is always there, but our changing moods affect our ability to see. It's good days and...

QUANTICO, Va., Dec. 6 (UPI) -- An HIV-infected U.S. Navy chaplain who pleaded guilty to forcible sodomy was sentenced Thursday to serve two years in a military prison. Lt. Cmdr. John Thomas Lee, 42, of Burke, Va., accepted a plea agreement with prosecutors that suspended 10 years of a 12-year sentence, dismissed him from the Navy and required him to forfeit future pay and benefits, the Baltimore Sun reported. Lee, a Roman Catholic priest, admitted forcing himself on a gay Naval Academy midshipman whom he counseled and to having sex with an Air Force officer without disclosing he was HIV-positive....

Washington, DC - A Navy chaplain once assigned to the U.S. Naval Academy plans to plead guilty Thursday to sodomy and other charges, including one tied to his failure to disclose his HIV-positive status to a partner, his attorney said. Lt. Cmdr. John Thomas Matthew Lee was to enter the plea at his general court-martial at Marine Corps Base Quantico in northern Virginia, his attorney, David Sheldon, told The Associated Press on Wednesday. Lee, 42, plans to plead guilty to forcible sodomy, aggravated assault and other charges, Sheldon said. Military law defines failing to inform a partner of a person's...

SPOKANE -- The cross is coming off the official patch worn by Spokane Police Department chaplains after a federal lawsuit prompted changes inside the police chaplains office. The removal of the cross stems from a lawsuit filed against the city last year by a senior police volunteer who argued it was unconstitutional to have a cross on an official City of Spokane insignia. The federal lawsuit, filed by Ray Ideaus, said the patch was illegal and the department's requirement that chaplains adhere to the Judeo / Christian ethic was also unconstitutional because government cannot favor one religion over another. So...

          OUR COVENANT WITH GOD Abram accepted the covenant God offered him, "I Am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless. I will confirm my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers." Abram fell face-down, and God said to him, "As for me, this is my covenant with you: you will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram: your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations." (Genesis 17:1-5). Like Abraham, we also have a covenant with God;...

Baghdad - Vendors and shopkeepers are gearing up for business along a market street in the northeastern neighborhood of Adhamiya, when a platoon of American soldiers disgorges from Humvees. The soldiers fan out up and down the street. Even on a low-key patrol to make their presence known and gather intel, the soldiers have to stay on the qui vive. Eyes dart up to rooftops and down side alleys; while one soldier smiles and nods greetings to a vendor, another peers to the back of the store. From a distance the soldiers are indistinguishable: domed helmets, dark glasses, and tight-fitting...

          THOUGHT FOR THE WEEKEND There is a line separating dedication-to-duty from "work-a-holism." Dedication to duty is good, healthy, positive. Workalohism, on the other hand, is negative, harmful and eats away at family relationships. We must know the difference between the two. Let me tell you about a man who was called the Greatest American Soldier of the 20th Century: General George C. Marshall. Born in Uniontown, PA in 1880, he graduated from Virginia Military Institute in 1902. As a junior infantry officer in the US Army he served two tours in the Philippines, in...

          LIVING PRAYER Brother Lawrence was a monk who lived almost 300 years ago and worked in the galley of his monastery. He wrote a book, The Practice of the Presence of God, which today is considered a classic in the area of Christian devotion. Brother Lawrence spent much of his time in the monastery scullery scrubbing pots and pans. He also had a collateral duty as the monastery cobbler. In these jobs, he said, he learned to glorify God in simple tasks and to pray with his hands. By bringing to each small job...

        NEVER ENOUGH TIME While I have only been an occasional visitor to Washington, I was struck by one scene so strongly that it remains as somewhat of a reference. My first view "up close and personal" of the Pentagon was neither awe-inspiring nor intimidating. To be sure, I was impressed with the size of the building, but that was about it. What came upon me, and has stayed with me, is the image of an ant farm. An enormous one, surely, but an ant farm nonetheless. So may passageways with so many ants constantly traveling...

          ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE Good morning this rainy Monday! This morning someone asked me, "How do you like the lousy weather, Chaplain?" I thought a moment about the fact that my uniform was wet, my car had trouble starting, and about all those poor people stuck in the wall of traffic that inevitably occurs when 58 gets drenched. Then later I thought, how would we exist without the rain? which makes all life on our planet possible. I remembered the old prayer in my prayer book, a blessing to God for the gift of wind...

          AN HONEST DOUBTER The often hard quip, "He or she is doubting Thomas," usually is given in a negative way. Someone who can't get with the program or is not a team player. The origin of this statement goes to the passage in John's Gospel. Thomas, who somehow missed the first appearance of the resurrected Jesus to the rest of the disciples, states he will not believe until he sees and touches the Lord. He is a realist a man who is shattered in his faith after witnessing the arrest and death of Jesus....

          Marine Prayer Almighty Father, whose command is over all and whose love never fails, make me aware of Thy presence and obedient to Thy will. Keep me true to my best self, guarding me against dishonesty in purpose and deed and helping me to live so that I can face my fellow Marines, my loved ones and Thee without shame or fear. Protect my family. Give me the will to do the work of a Marine and to accept my share of responsibilities with vigor and enthusiasm. Grant me the courage to be proficient...

          HIGH FLIGHT John Gillespie Magee, Jr. was a pilot with the Royal Canadian Air Force. Shortly before his plane was shot down during World War II, he wrote a poem called "High Flight." The last stanza reads: Up, up the long delirious, burning blue I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace, Where never lark, or even eagle, flew; And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod The high untrespassed sanctity of space, Put out my hand and touched the face of God. John Magee was only nineteen years old when he wrote these...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 10, 2007 – Volunteers with a Northern Virginia military-support group gather twice a month to fill care packages for troops serving overseas. Servicemembers serving in Iraq display some of the goodies the received in a package from Neighbors International Foundation. Items like the stuffed flamingo are given as gifts to local children. The gesture builds friendship between the troops and local citizens. Courtesy photo   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “One of our primary focuses for the past few years has been sending care packages to the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan,” said Sharon Rainey, founder...

At Speicher base in Iraq, US Army Spec. Jeremy Hall got permission from a chaplain in August to post fliers announcing a meeting for atheists and other nonbelievers. When the group gathered, Specialist Hall alleges, his Army major supervisor disrupted the meeting and threatened to retaliate against him, including blocking his reenlistment in the Army. Months earlier, Hall charges, he had been publicly berated by a staff sergeant for not agreeing to join in a Thanksgiving Day prayer. On Sept. 17, the soldier and the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) filed suit against Army Maj. Freddy Welborn and US Secretary...

          By THAT'S WHAT YOU THINK! Sowing a thought reaps an act. Sowing an act reaps a habit. Sowing a habit reaps a character. Sowing a character reaps a destiny. The battle for the soul and the very essence of life goes on in our thought life. We are what we think (Proverbs 23:7). What we think, therefore, needs protection and can be controlled. II Corinthians 10:5 tells us to bring every thought into captivity. Good thoughts will produce good habits. For believers there are four keys in helping to develop good habits: 1. Follow...

          PROMISE YOURSELF Promise yourself to be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind to speak of health, happiness, and prosperity to every person that you meet; ... to make all your friends aware of the special qualities within them; ...to look at the sunny side of every thing and let your optimism work to make your dreams come true; ...to think, work for, and expect only the best; ...to be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own; ...to forget past mistakes and press on...

Spitting on the Marines [Michael Ledeen] Here is an e-mail from a Marine chaplain recently returned from Iraq. The story speaks for itself—lousy treatment of our troops at our own airports. He writes about Oakland, and while checking around I find that this is a common experience. I hope that one of our leaders will find a way to put an end to such behavior. Marines and Soldiers Returning from Iraq not allowed into Oakland terminal On September 27th 204 Marines and soldiers who were returning from Iraq were not allowed into the passenger terminal at Oakland International Airport. Instead...