Hornets Nest

I'm thinking out loud here, so don't shoot me. Having run youth groups for the last seven years, I've noticed several interesting dynamics, but the most recent involves homeschoolers. In fact, at a recent Youth Specialties Conference I attended, there were a couple of seminars on how to deal with homeschoolers in your youth group. What's the problem? Here's what I see with homeschoolers (and I welcome feedback and input).

1. They have learned so much more Bible and theology than other kids their age that they don't seem to know how to relate to those kids who are "Christian," but aren't as deep. At least, they can't relate on a spiritual level without being scornful.
2. Church groups are very educational for them. Learning is great, but education is best tempered by rubbing shoulders with others not the same.
3. Grace is often lacking towards others not on the same spiritual path.
4. They don't know how to speak spiritually to different levels.
5. Pride? Hubris?
6. Very spiritually mature, but not socially mature when it comes to other Christians.
7. Have difficulty having fun spiritually.

I don't see these in all homeschoolers (especially my friends who homeschool!), nor am I against homeschooling. Nonetheless, I see it enough that it worries me. As humans, we can never come to the middle, but always seem to swing too far to the opposite side. I wonder if the homeschooler characteristics I've described here aren't a symptom of that very thing.

I hate conferences!

It never fails--I go to some faith-based conference and the following happens:
1. I go somewhat "crazy" for two days;
2. I start returning to Kraig-normal and begin to experience some spiritual crisis;
3. God deals with me in a very meaningful way;
4. I go home a very different person.

It is, quite honestly, a truly painful experience for me! This has been no exception. I am currently attending the Youth Specialties National Youth Worker Conference in Atlanta, GA. I arrived on Wednesday, and I go home on Monday. True to my normal experience, I went "crazy" Wednesday night and Thursday night; Friday was a very down day for me--I mean that intensely. I sat in worship and felt nothing. I sat in conferences and felt . . . . nothing. Honestly, I have noticed, at least twice in the last year, times when I have actually experienced spiritual depression, which is unusual for me. I came home last night asking God to reveal to me the root of my "issue" (one of many, I know). When I finally arose this morning, I felt some better, but I still have been praying today for God to show me what's going on.

For tonight's "General Session," I made sure to get a seat closer to the front. Louie Giglio spoke and Chris Tomlin played afterwards. Just by the way, if you've never heard Louie Giglio speak, stop what you are doing (like reading this blog), and look him up. He is phenomenal, not because he has great words of wisdom, but because he is always pointing to the very basics of Christ and, in this case, the cross. His whole 'talk' tonight was how we MUST go to the cross when the bottom drops out beneath us. The cross shows us God's love for us; it shows us God's empathy with us; it shows us God's victory for us; it shows God's control over life and man's freedom for us; it shows God's plan for us. As a "side benefit," I can see times when I have failed, in my AF ministry, to point people to the cross of Christ and God's plan in the world as the answer for injustice. Anyway, as Louie prays, and Chris Tomlin begins to play, God just reveals the root of my struggle. He gives me a word for the struggle and a picture of His healing in my life. Chris Tomlin ends with "Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)" tonight. As he did, I could see and feel the chains drop off. It was amazing. It was freeing. It was totally God at work.

Please pray for me these two things:
1. God's healing of reconciliation in my life;
2. That I can get into the practice of pointing people to the cross, especially as they share with me their struggles, questions, and hurts.

God Bless.

It's really . . .

fantastic weather today. It snowed for the second time on Sunday, but today was in the 80's. It's amazing how the air and the light is so . . . different here in the West. Perfectly clear; ethereal light; everything in the sharpest of detail; sunshine causing the yellow leaves to glow; the prairie alight--I don't think you can really understand it until you live out here. Absolutely amazing!!!!!

Happy Birthday to the Smith Girls

It's birthday month once again in the Smith family household. Mom, Sierra, and I, Kayla, are now one year older. Sierra is now 8 and I am now 12.
Sierra wants to type something now. Here it is: I was sick yesterday. It was a very unpleasant experience.
Other than our birthdays and the little event yesterday there really hasn't been anything interesting going on around here. so we'll talk to you later.
Sincerely,
The Smiths

Apparently, their father says, going out to eat at a fondue restaurant in Manitou Springs, CO; having homemade bread and potato soup or sloppy joes for their birthday suppers (they got the meal of their choice); being able to take homemade sugar cookies to share at school; and receiving gifts don't rate as very interesting to the girls. Hmmmmmmmmmmm--will their father remember this?! I wonder.

I am an American Airman . . .

http://www.aetc.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-070914-043.wmv

First Family Camping Trip!

Despite being told that one does not do youth work in the Air Force, I am the Director of The YG at F. E. Warren AFB. We took our first youth trip this last weekend, to go camping! There is a spot not too far from here called Vedauwoo (look it up) that is truly amazing. Anyway, after I took the youth home on Saturday, we Smiths stayed and had our FFCT (see title). We did some geocaching, grilled some steaks, and the girls got to experience an outhouse in 30 degree weather at 0200!!! It was a great trip. Here are some pictures for your enjoyment . . .

A grand total of 60 years!

Need a laugh? Here you go!

I grew up going to a traditional Southern Baptist Church. What does that mean? We almost always sang "Just As I Am" for the invitation (which we had at every service). We always sang verses 1, 3, and 4 of every song, for which we had to stand. For every service, the order was exactly the same. I could hardly WAIT to get to a church service that was different. I finally had that opportunity, some, at my last place of employment with the Contemporary Service. Then, after leaving there, we attended a bonafide Contemporary Service that was WONDERFUL!!! Jen and I thought we were on the way OUT of traditional.

I joined the AF. I was put in charge of the . . . Traditional Service. Aaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrgggggggggghhhhhhhhh! Not only that, but my new boss wants an even more traditional format!!!! It's killer. But wait--it gets even better!

I have been put in charge of the Liturgical Service at F. E. Warren AFB. What's liturgical? Liturgical, technically, is to have a set order of worship. Indeed, that is the AF definition--we will have a set order of worship. Feel free to look it up in Wikipedia. For those of you aware of what it is, and who know me, I can't imagine a more antithetical service for me to run, can you?

Peace be with you . . . .

Check out my Slide Show!

On Top of Mount Belford

Well, I promised an update about a hike and pictures. It's late because we can't find the cord for downloading the pics from the camera!!! However, my brother sent some pics, so I'm using those!!! The story of this hike starts in 1994. Jen and I, having married during Easter Break, took an extended honeymoon over Summer Break to Colorado, where my sister, in the early stages of becoming an avid Fourteener, asked if we wanted to hike up Pike's Peak. Sounded fun--Jen and I both love the mountains (actually, it was Jen's first time ever in CO)--sure! Never mind that we came from 100 ft above sea level or that we had not, in any way, trained for the hike. Mel said it would be easy and fun, so we went for it. Needless to say, we did not fare so well on the 12 hour hike up 5000 feet! If you really want to know how it ended up, give us a call.

Fast forward 13 years . . . I am now acclimated to 6000+ ft above sea level and in considerably better shape than before. Consequently, when my sister and my brother (the one in San Francisco) suggested climbing another Fourteener, I said, "Yes." I did, after all, have something to prove! We actually started up Missouri Mountain, but decided on Mount Belford due to the distance being a mile shorter. My ten year old nephew and my dog both accompanied us.

Climbing in the Rockies is an exercise in humility. Being that near majesty is a faint, although awe-inspiring, echo of what it will be like to be in the majestic presence of God Himself! It was a beautiful day. The meadows were green; the mountain stream was full; the sky was crystal clear; it was amazing. It was hard (very), and I hurt for the next week, but it was a great trip. My dog and my sister both did considerably better than I did, but I did better than my brother and his son. I'm happy with myself.

All of these pictures were taken at the summit of Mount Belford. Enjoy the view. If you want to try this yourself, start training, and then let me know when you want to join the Fourteeners!!!

Update!

This summer has been uber-busy! We've had visits to make, funerals to attend, and visitors to receive. The largest and longest-staying group of visitors was my sister-in-law and her family from the mighty Mitten State! Her husband could only stand us for a week, but she and her two boys stuck it out for around four weeks!!!! Brave woman . . . . . What could cousins possibly do for four weeks? Hmmmmmmmmmm, let me count the ways--
1. See the USAF Thunderbirds;


2. Buy cowboy hats;


3. Make cookies;


4. Sightsee--
a. Cheyenne Frontier Days--


b. Estes Park, CO--


5. Bowl--




6. Get in LOTS of trouble!





So, stay tuned--I plan to blog what I did this weekend, and it's a doozy!!! I'm sore, tired, and NOT cranky!!!! For more information, check out this website--http://www.14ers.org/page.php?pname=peaks/sawatch/belford/standard. Also, not that I know how to put a video on, but my input for the whole music thing is Jimmy Needham's "Lost at Sea."

Indomitable

It's the end of an era. Born in the 19 teens, Bunah May Klingman Heston had designs of being a teacher. However, the Great Depression intervened. She also had designs of marrying another man, but a move and her father intervened (interestingly enough, she was written to by two men, but only received letters from the one her father deemed "the lesser of two evils"). She ended up married to a farmer in Southwest Oklahoma. This is the same man she "forced" to buy a car because riding on a horse would cause runs in her hose! A diminuitive woman, Grandma loved kids, chickens, colors, new foods, stuff galore, teddy bears, knick-knacks, gossip, games, hot pink, and helping other people. She did NOT, however, love my attempt at positive thinking while riding in the back seat as Granddad drove her to the hospital for a broken arm. "Just try not to think about it, Grandma" went over like a Yankee carpetbagger in Louisiana. That's the same summer I used a lawn mower to run over her cherry trees she was trying to grow. Grandma was blunt beyond belief, having no problem asking very personal questions of my girlfriend at the time the very first time they met. Jennifer married me anyway!

Some of my favorite memories are . . . gathering eggs with/for her from the chicken coop; eating her country-fried steak; seeing my 80+ year old grandmother walk around in a hot pink sweatsuit; the box of sermon illustrations she clipped out of newspapers, newsletters, etc, and gave me for Christmas one year; the child's toy she gave me when I was a teen because she thought we could play with it together!; the too-small backpack I took to Germany with me and have since passed down to my children (far outlasting any of the "real" backpacks I used in college); her cheating at every game we played (much like her father did in dominoes); working in the garden with her, especially the summer we gathered potato bugs and talked about making a pizza with them (you had to be there); her pride at my being a minister and her love of Jesus Christ; driving her around the countryside just last month as she enjoyed the green grass, colorful flowers, and livestock . . . .

Driving down to Colorado Springs Friday night, preparing to go to a family reunion in Texas, Mom called me and told me that Grandma was gone. It was the weirdest trip down, as I alternately cried in mourning and laughed at the prospect of Grandma in heaven, face to face with Jesus Christ. I listened to an old song--"Ain't No Grave"--by Russ Taff all the way. Sorry--I'm not proficient enough to place it on here, but it's worth listening to. Saturday night, I fixed Country-fried Steak a la Grandma, and we toasted her as we ate. I think she would have appreciated it. It's really strange to me. On the one hand, Granddad was always the one we talked about--Grandma was a little strange to us. On the other hand, what an indomitable person she proved to be, and one who just grew better with age. Thank you, Jesus, for the wonderful opportunity to have Bunah Heston in my life.

Cheyenne Frontier Days!

Yep, for those in the know, it's that time of year in Cheyenne again! I won't post all of the pictures, but here's a few for you to enjoy.

First, we have the 500 head of cattle drive down the ride (we could see it from our house, but chose to get a closer view!).




Our youngest took the pics, so you must accept them for as they are! Yesterday was the first Cheyenne Frontier Days parade (with Gen. T. Michael Moseley as the Grand Marshall). There's just a few pics from that.










Lastly, I had to have new "official photos" taken, so here's my best shot. I'd really like to know your opinion of this one!!!

What a year!

So, today I pinned on Captain (that means I promoted to the rank of Captain). It's been exactly one year since I went to Andrews AFB, and some young Captain swore me in as an Air Force officer. I wasn't, at first, all that impressed with putting on Captain. For Chaplains, it's kind of automatic. But then I thought--I went through 3.5 years of seminary and 6 full years of ministry and 1 year as a 1st Lt to get these, and I'll be in these for 8+ years. Maybe I should treat it as a bigger deal than I have been! Besides, just working with Mark Garrett is enough to have made me a Colonel!!! With all of that in mind, Ch Breig (our Wing Chaplain) read the orders and swore me in. Jen had made homemade cinnamon rolls (excellent, as usual), and I had brought orange juice, so we sat down afterwards and had breakfast together. Actually, it's pretty meaningful to take the Officer's Oath. Check it out at http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/apj/apj02/win02/keskel.html.

What makes this really important is thinking about where I was last year (it's been a pretty sweet year) and the year before (that was a pretty crappy year). God has certainly blessed us in this last year. I've had the chance in the last year to get a job that I enjoy very much; I spent time with my dying grandfather and ailing grandmother that has been very meaningful to me. I am closer to my sister than I ever have been, and I've seen more of Mom than I have for a long, long time. Jen's happy; the girls are happy; my promotion today simply marks a God-blessed year. May He get all of the glory!

James 1:2-4

I'm preaching through the Book of James in my church, and this week, I'm preaching on James 1:2-4. Studying for it, I did some word studies, and wrote my own "translation" of the passage. I am particularly impressed by the definition of "perseverance" being "characteristic of a man who is unswerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith by even the greatest trials and sufferings," as well as the idea of perseverance becoming mature within us. Anyway, here it is--let me know what you think.

"See it as a matter of pure joy, my fellow believers, when you are utterly drowning in those experiences sent by God and designed to test your faith, holiness, or character, because--knowing the person, character, mind, and plans of God--you know that the testing of your strong convictions about Jesus as the Messiah will result in you having the characteristic of one who does not waver from his deliberate loyalty and faith--even when crushed! Allow that characteristic of unwavering loyalty and faith to Jesus to become full-grown and mature in you with the end in mind of you yourself becoming a spiritual adult--ethically free from sin and lacking no spiritual grace."

I am constantly amazed that God redeems EVERYTHING in our lives. Everything we experience (kids, marriage, bosses, friends, family, jobs, etc.) is PURPOSEFUL in the hands of God. What a cool concept that is!

Family Time

This last week was a really neat week. It started on Saturday with the girls, Jen, and my sister experiencing (very mildly) a "deployment." They went through a deployment line; they toured a C-130 and a Blackhawk Medivac Helicopter. They came back to Base X, where they tried MRE's, ate lunch, put on chem gear, and more. My sister's favorite experience was driving the bomb robot! It was really well-done. If you'll go to www.warren.af.mil next week, you had ought to be able to see a pic or two. I'll try to post some next week here as well.
We left on Sunday for Oklahoma to visit my mom. It was a horrible, wicked, no good, very bad day! I was cranky; Jen was cranky; we hit a concrete abutment and flattened a tire (Thank you, Lord, for safety!); we hit at least one bird, and a doe walked up to the edge of the road. It's already a 13-hour drive, which didn't help at all! However, we did eventually make it to a very green and wet Oklahoma--most unusual for late June!!! In fact, not many people could remember this wet of an OK summer. Be praying for them--wet ground makes harvesting difficult, if not impossible! We stayed in OK until Jen and I left on Thursday. My Grandmother is 92, and suffers from dementia. She is skin and bones, and often refuses to get out of bed. We had a great time with her! She enjoyed going on rides around the country; she did puzzles with our youngest; she was cracking us up. She told me she was going to cry when I left. I did indeed almost cry, because I don't think I'll ever see her on this side of heaven again. However, I'm really grateful that I was able to spend some time with her. She has always been very proud of me for being a pastor--in fact, one year for Christmas, she gave me a box of clippings to use for sermon illustrations! She loves bright colors (finding the flowering shrubs, etc., while we were riding around was always a plus), so Jen bought her two yard ornaments--the spinny kind. I grew in appreciation of this wonderful woman this week, and the wonderful woman--Mom--who honors the Scriptural mandate of taking care of one's family. It was a bittersweet week. My Dad is buried there, Mom's gravestone is also there. My uncle is buried there, as are my great-grandparents. When Grandma dies (she thought I called her "granny" this last week and got hot!) and Mom leaves, my family will be out of a town lived in for many years. Nevertheless, what a great opportunity to be with family we had! The girls remained, giving Mom much-needed "Mimi" time and help, so Jen and I are enjoying our time alone.
Tomorrow's sermon begins a series on the Book of James. It's titled "Revolutionary Living." May your lives be filled with the revolution of the love of Jesus Christ, and may you revolutionize the world around you! Happy Independence Day (such a misnomer for Christians)!

Yikes! I'm in 7th-grade!!!

Hi! This is Kayla. I'm in 7th-grade now, and I'm a little nervous. I've visited my school with the rest of my class, and I should get my schedule soon. They showed us a play (a la Cinderella) that I really liked. We got to ask questions. I don't like that we MUST dissect a frog (Dad thinks it's cool--ugh!!!).

Saturday, sister and I are going to "deploy." It's called S.P.A.C.E. Jr Deployer. We get to experience what Dad does when he deploys. It's not exactly the same, but it's pretty close. I think it's going to be cool. We've received our orders already. We get ID's (even though I have a real one) and dogtags. We get to wear Daddy's clothes, if we want to (just the shirt and hat). It's gonna be cool.

Friday, June 8th, multiple things happened. 1) We got out of school. 2) The Father-Daughter Banquet happened. It was AWESOME!!! We danced with Dad, and ate supper, and had dessert, and had our pics taken, and all sorts of stuff. I loved it!

In case any of you don't know, my Aunt's horse (Expresso) had a baby (DoubleShot). She was really stubborn about having it, though. We kept waiting and waiting and waiting, and she waited another week to have it! I can't wait to see her. Here's a picture of her:



That's all for this week. Come back next week for MORE!

Sincerely,
The Smiths

Who Knew?

Sierra was tested for a gifted program within the county, and scored a 134 on the Wischler IQ Test (#4). Must be a genetic anamoly somewhere!!!

Breathe in--breath out!

Wow! What a week it's been!!! I'll start from last Friday (8 June).
* Girls got out of school.
* The Base Chapel held its first ever Father-Daughter Banquet (led by me). It was an amazing time. Nothing preachy; just wanted to get Dads and daughters together to have a good time and enjoy each other's company. Andrew Ralon came out (thanks, Andrew!) and played his violin (called a "touch of class" to have him strolling around playing). It was awesome. I received this e-mail today in regard to the Banquet:

...I wanted to say how great the Father daughter dance was. All the
girls there including my own were smiling from ear to ear. It was the
first time I have really danced with my 15 year old daughter and a night
that I will forever remember and cherish. I received an honest heart
felt unprompted "I love you dad" for the first time in a long time. It
was something that I and a lot of military dads are missing out
of--quality one on one time with our daughters. Thank you so much for
that opportunity. I hope you are able to do it again next year.

I almost cried. God truly blessed that night. I cannot begin to tell you how meaningful of a night it was. If you want to see a pic of the girls and myself, shoot me an e-mail.

Saturday, 9 June
* Hiked Vedawou with the girls and Andrew (http://www.rockclimbing.com/photos/Misc/Vedawou_bouldering_58075.html)
* Received call to be at Base Command Post by 0600 Sunday morning for possible Active-duty death.

Sunday, 10 June
* Arrived 0600 to find out that A1C Eric Barnes, from our base, had been killed in Iraq.
* Preached the 0800 service.
* Commander's Call at A1C Barnes' squadron to inform squadron. Gave some pastoral care to grieving and shocked Airmen.
* Preached 1100 service.
* Took 2 hour nap (after the service, of course).

Monday, 11 June
* Worked with squadron and began memorial service plans.
* Had a funeral service in the morning. While preparing the sermonette (a.k.a., "Words of Comfort"), Sierra looked over my shoulder and said, "He enjoyed life?!!!! Life is not fair; how could he enjoy life?!!!!" I'm sorry my child is so abused).
* Jen and girls took Andrew back to the airport.
* Talked with dorm residents where Eric lived at 1700.

Tuesday, 12 June
* Visited with squadron.
* Worked on memorial service.
* Received call from Command Post re: another Active-duty death on base. Really strange circumstances there.
* Another Commander's Call for another squadron for another death.
* While Kayla went to CAP, I struggled with my "words of comfort" for A1C Barnes' memorial service on Thursday. Didn't get very far.

Wednesday, 13 June
* Worked on the script for the memorial service.
* Visited the squadron.
* Finished the "words of comfort" for the memorial service tomorrow. If you want to see what that looks like, let me know.
* Did take the family out for supper and a Tops In Blue performance (http://www.topsinblue.com/).

Thursday, 14 June
* Breakfast with squadron and A1C Barnes' family--0800.
* Invocation for another squadron's Change of Command (0930).
* Memorial Service for A1C Eric Barnes--1300.

In all of that, include counselings, sermon prep, etc. It's been a busy week! You might keep our base in mind. One person's death never affects a small group only. Couple that with two deaths in one week, and the effects can be overwhelming. Pray also that I might give God's comfort during this week.

The "Exercise" continues . . .

Tuesday was spent setting up camp, doing visitation, etc. Wednesday was the really FUN day. We practiced being attacked all day long (literally--I got home at 1900). So, I spent most of the day in Chem Gear! Yay!!!! My all-time favorite uniform.



You can figure out which one I am. Anyway, the day was not ill-spent. Having never been deployed, this at least makes me think about what I will do (for instance, chaplains minister to the folks at Mortuary Affairs while they are preparing the bodies or have prepared the bodies) in certain situations. It was a thought-provoking day, actually, although those who have done this multiple times may not understand that. So, here are a few pictures of camp for you to enjoy.





Jennifer scored me BIG points. Someone challenged me with the statement that another Chaplain always brings doughnut holes, and I wasn't keeping up! Jen sent me on Thursday with around 175 homemade cinnamon rolls and a huge bag of banana bread muffins! Thanks, Jen!!! Several people told me their shop would always accept such items.

Okay, that's enough for the monkey gallery to make more nasty comments. I enjoyed (for the most part) the exercise; the real thing will be here soon enough.

A Boy and His Battle Rattle

Okay, so here's the deal. 100+ of us here at F. E. Warren AFB are "playing" war games this week. Yours truly, for instance, had to be on base in place locked, cocked, and ready to rock at . . . . . . . . . ready for this? 0400 (that's 4 a.m. for you non-military types). I got home at 1800 (6 p.m.). We start again tomorrow at 0545 and are scheduled to end at 1800. What fun! What thrills! What a waste of time some of this is while the leadership gets the administrative details together. What do we do while playing? We set up camp; we train; we are attacked. I, as the Chaplain, will have a service on Wednesday afternoon (thinking of focusing on those really deployed and missing), make up a simulated schedule, visit the Airmen, counsel, and participate in various scenarios. The first day is a pain, administratively, but the other days can be quite fun. At any rate, it's worth giving you a look-see at Kraig in full battle gear, otherwise known as "battle rattle." Here goes!



Who'd of ever thunk it? Okay, off to bed at 2000 (figure that one out!) so I can rise early in the morning. Anybody want me to call them?!

Days 4 and 5 of AF Conference

Thursday was another interesting day of briefings. Some were more interesting than others, I assure you. The most interesting briefer, for me, was Maj Gen Paul Selva, the man in charge of thinking ahead for future AF needs, etc. If you know me at all, you know that I am really interested in thinking ahead to the future. What will we look like? What will we need then that we need to start working on now? Here are a few things from his briefing:
1. 30% of China's population lives in the cities. What will the energy demand be in the future if more of that 70% rural population moves into the city?
2. At the current rate, the new F-35 will take 50 years to buy.
3. The AF needs to think about replacing the F-22, the world's premier fighter, in 2018.
4. The last American Soldier killed by enemy aircraft was in Korea--1953 (http://www.wpafb.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123052633).
5. Without air dominance, 1 of our servicemen dies to every 7 of theirs. With air dominance, 1 of ours dies for every 60-600 of theirs!

Very interesting stuff re: the importance of the AF and what we bring to the fight. Also interesting in that people wonder why the AF needs fighters unmatched by the rest of the world. You'll note three things--1) the rest of the world is not just twiddling their thumbs (SAMs, for instance, can lock on to aircraft that are 200 miles away--much farther than we can lock on!); 2) the buying process is so long that systems are in fact obsolete before we can procure them; 3) the R&D process and the procurement process are so long that we have to have systems far in advance of anything current so we can be current when we do get them!

I've been impressed by the deep thinking going on. It's great to know someone is thinking those thoughts!

Today, we went to the Pentagon and toured around (this was a personal tour). That was pretty neat as well. We go home tomorrow, and it's back to the grind. For now? It's time for supper! Ciao.

Day #3 of AF Conference

Just a quick note before I go to our Dining-In. If you don't know what that is, check this out (http://usmilitary.about.com/od/airforce/a/afdiningin.htm). Anyway, went to the White House today (first time I've been), Arlington National Cemetery (toured around by the Honor Guard), the Air Force Memorial (more impressive than I expected), and then the Air and Space Museum, where I went into a flight simulator and had my picture taken by teens on a pictorial scavenger hunt (one of our group had her picture taken by a Chinese woman--spy? This is D C!!!). Anyway, I'm off to our Dining In. This is our cool, fancy uniform for such an affair.


Toodles! There will be more tomorrow, the last day of the conference, which is good, as I'm almost out of clothes!!!

Day #2 of AFCGOC PD Conference

Well, I ain't necessarily dumb, but today was definitely the AF nerd's day! We heard from the Vice-Commander of the AF's new Cyberspace Operations command. We also heard from the Commander of the National Reconnaissance Office (Did you know that everything in space that is 10+ cm is counted?!). Both were pretty much over my head! Good stuff, however, what I understood. You could hear the pocket protectors and slide rulers coming out!!!! We also heard from 5 Chief Master Sgts. The Chiefs are always good to hear from because they shoot straight. Best quote? "If you're going to be an officer, act like an officer!" Did you know the AF has a Special Operations command? I did, but not a lot of people do! The Vice-Commander spoke like a true SpecOps member--short and to the point. One of his tips for leadership is, "Stay in shape; pick up trash." Those two statement are not necessarily connected, just by the way. Perhaps the best speaker today, surprisingly, was the four star Marine General--James Cartwright. Very intelligent, articulate, and deep. He asked these questions--"How do you change the [military] culture to match the world? How do you remain relevant?" I couldn't help but wonder how the Church needs to answer those questions. We don't change church culture to match the world, by any means, but we might have to change it to remain relevant. As long as the Gospel remains the same, the rest is window dressing, and yet so many churches continue to stay the same. Lastly, we heard from Col (sel) Al King, the first mayor of Baghdad. He was very interesting. He actually has a website--www.2xarmed.com. Haven't checked it out yet, so can't tell you what's on there. He has much to say about how the Administration screwed up Iraq, but also has much to say about how we might still fix it. A few of his points--
* The problem came about when we labeled ourselves "occupiers," no longer "guests."
* "Iraq has never won a war, and never lost a negotiation."
* Al Qaeda is to Islam what the KKK is to Christianity.
* Cultural tips:
a. Don't shake hands unless it is offered to you first.
b. The senior person sits at the head of the table.
c. At the end of the tea at the end of the meal, LEAVE!
d. Don't use the left hand for anything.
Good stuff. I bought his book. I hope it will be helpful for when I go over there (if I do).

Lastly, our two star sponsor, Maj Gen Wurster, called a 1Lt up, and he and another two-star pinned on her new Captain's bars in front of everyone at the end of the day. It was pretty neat. Not many Lt's can say that has happened to them. Neat conference, thus far. I had supper with AJ Dobson and Andrew Ralon tonight, then came back and ran for 25 minutes. Tomorrow is tour day, and my bus will go to the White House, the Air and Space Museum, and Arlington. We'll be back tomorrow night in time to get dressed for our formal Dining-In.

Peace!

Conference Day #1

Interesting day today, with lots of good speakers, so I've enjoyed it thus far. Most of our speakers today were two and three-stars, and yet very down-to-earth. So, just a few key ideas, thoughts, and quotes for you to ponder:
a) Prince George's County, MD, has a higher murder rate than NYC;
b) On Jan 11, 2007, the Chinese successfully destroyed a defunct missile (thanks, Wikipedia) using an ASAT (anti-satellite)weapon, thereby causing a few people to go, "Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm";
c) At least two speakers emphasized (footstomped) the necessity of bringing the family along. One said, "If you reach the top of the [promotion] pyramid, and your family is not with you, you have failed." I have long been impressed by the AF's commitment to the family;
d) "Communication is the hardest thing we [as humans] do";
e) The amount of trade in the Pacific region of the world in 2005 was $1.1 trillion;
f) India is the world's largest democracy and the third largest Muslim country;
g) "People get kicked out for doing something stupid--it's either with the Government Travel Card or with the zipper."

I'm also always impressed with the admonitions of our top leaders to be humble, to work hard, to live core values, to care for your people, to remember that service, by definition, involves inconvenience. Not that the AF, by any means, is perfect, but I sometimes wonder if the military (and civilian corporations as well) do a better job of touting spiritual ideals and holding people accountable for those than other . . . . . . . . . . . . . . institutions do.

On another note, I played the Wii at the Kendig's house Sunday. It is really a neat system. One of the games was boxing (at which I beat the former reigning Kendig champion--Ashley), and I am surprised (and even chagrined) at how sore I am the next day--as if I'd had a major weightlifting session!

Happy Mother's Day!

It's been an interesting weekend. I have an Air Force Company Grade Officers Professional Development Conference in D.C., starting tomorrow, so Jen and I flew in on Friday and drove down to SOMD for the weekend. The traffic is worse than I remember (!), and the East Coast is lusher and greener than I remembered! What a contrast to Wyoming!!! After the High Plains, Maryland feels positively "jungle-y"! We stayed with friends for the weekend, and we were very well treated. Thanks to the Dardens, who graciously opened their home up to us and anyone who wanted to visit. Bill hosted an Axis and Allies game Friday night (which I actually won!!!), as well as tons of people. Saturday morning, Bill and Barb managed to keep the boys from banging on drums like they wanted to, and Jen and I slept in a little while. Tina came over, and we talked, and then went to see the boys' soccer games. Afterwards, about 8 gazillion people came over to the Dardens, and the last one left around 10:30 p.m. We ate 5 Guys Burgers and Fries for supper (fiveguys.com), which we had both had a craving for, and just visited all night long. It was really nice. We had not realized how much we missed our circle of friends in Maryland, many of whom have children close to the same age as ours! It was really an amazing day of reconnecting with some great people (including several of "my" teens).

On Sunday, we attended Leonardtown Baptist Church and heard a really good sermon. The service itself was phenomenal (http://leonardtownbaptist.org/). It was strange, to say the least, to see so many of our good friends there instead of Lexington Park Baptist. It's quite saddening to see how LPB has gone down, especially for a church which had so much potential.

All in all, it was a really nice weekend. Great hospitality, neat people, beautiful countryside, warm church--very refreshing. Now, what did we do with the girls? Well, they went down to Aunt Mel's in Colorado Springs, where they mucked stables, rode horses, saw a new foal, played with 4-wheelers--in short, they had a very "rough" time. Mel brought them back to the house tonight, where Jen will meet them.

So, you're caught up now. Have a great week!

April's Thrills Bring May's Bills!

Wow! April has been a BUSY, BUSY month. We started the month by going to San Diego (Carlsbad, actually), where we enjoyed Legoland, the Wild Animal Park, Sea World, the beach, seafood, and family! We came back for a week, and then drove across NE and into Kansas City, MO, where I attended an SBC Chaplain's Development Conference on Islam at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, while the girls (all three of them) enjoyed (grand)parents and Jen's sister and niece. We got to see old friends as well, which was really neat. Then there was the interminable drive back across KS. I had forgotten the "joys" of smelling a cattleyard at night when I hadn't had time to prepare beforehand with a visual sighting! What olfactory bliss.

We did get to see the Old Ft. Bent Trading Post in Colorado on the way back (the next day, that is). That was really neat!

Anyway, we finally made it home to warm weather and green prairie (kind of nice, I must admit). I've been told that Wyoming summers more than make up for Wyoming winters. I hope so! Today was a great day, as was yesterday, and this whole week promises to be quite nice. We are all really looking forward to that.

I have a PDF of some GREAT pics from our trips, but I'm unable to get it to load!!! If you would like to see it, let me know, and I'll e-mail it to you!!!

Coolest job ever!

I love my job as a Chaplain. It's only Monday, and I've helped someone threatening suicide get the help he needs and I got to visit the wife of an Airman who just had (one month early) a 5# baby girl that they didn't even know was coming! I even got to hold the baby! She was perfect, and if you know me very well, you know I could go on and on and on--I won't. Last week, I visited an Airman in jail, and was able to see God doing some work in his life, now that he's hit rock bottom and all has been taken away from him.

Quite honestly, it's satisfying to be used of God in the lives of people. A few months ago, someone told me this--"Life is hard; stupidity makes it even harder." If it just stopped there, with "life is hard," what a waste this life would be! Thanks be to God for taking our stupidity and making it into something glorious! That's an awesome kind of job satisfaction.

Views and Sierra-isms

This is the view from our house. You can see the Rockies in the background during this beautiful sunset.

Sierra, as usual, keeps us laughing. Here are just a few "Sierra-isms" for your entertainment.
1. (After neighing loudly) "I'm kind of like a horse."
2. (After commenting on her roaring like a tiger)
Me--"You're not a tiger!"
She-"I'm just talented!"
3. While putting her to bed one night, she comments, "Dad, you're getting a uni-brow!"
4. Tonight, while she is doing her homework, she asks, "How do you spell 'nerd'?"
Me--"You spell 'nerd' like 'S-i-e-r-r-a'."
She-"Dad, how do you spell 'nerd'?"
Me--"K-a-y-l-a"
Kayla--"Oh, Dad! That was mean!!!"
She-"'Nerd!' Dad, how do you spell 'nerd'?"
Jen--"Sierra, you spell 'nerd' as 'n-e-r-d'."
She-"You know, like 'Leonard'!!"
5. 5. I called Sierra the other day and asked her to do something for me. She said, "I love you," and I said, "You're cute." Sierra responds with "Ah, you never tell me I'm cute." WHAT KIND OF FATHER AM I?

Life is just a barrel of laughs with children!!! Check back often--we'll try to keep these up-to-date.