Brookland: Facing the Future: Awake, Alert, and unAfraid

Victor Sheldon to come up here. Victor is a dear friend. He's been a part of our church for

several years. If you don't know him, that may be because he's also a chaplain with the Navy,

and so he has been on duty. He was posted in Djibouti for a year, and then he was back for a

little while, and then he received his next assignment, which was to go and serve in Louisiana

for this coming calendar year. It's our pleasure whenever we get Victor back in town to get time

with him, and it's our pleasure to welcome him to come up and preach God's Word to us.

So Victor, I'll invite you to come on up, and let's welcome Victor.

Thanks, Tommy. Thanks, brother. Well, it's a great joy to be with you and to be back here.

There were, as I've shared with Tommy and others, there were some very dark days in Djibouti,

some wonderful days, but also some great challenges, and the one thing that kept me sort of going from

day in and day out are the prayers of this church family and my own conviction that God would bring

me back safely home. So thank you. Thanks, Tommy. Thanks for having me. I've now realized,

well, you all up here at the front, these lights are incredibly bright, and so I am, yes, I can't see

you, but I trust you can see me. So, well, let's pray together, and we'll look at our scripture for

today and explore together. Let's pray. Lord Jesus Christ, thou Son of God and Son of Man,

Lord, as we have sung, we do. We wait for you. We long for you. For you alone are our hope.

Gracious God, I ask that by your Holy Spirit, you would grant us grace that what we say with our lips,

we may believe in our hearts, we may believe in our hearts, that we might show forth in our lives.

All this to your great honor and glory through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Well, a number of years ago, my father decided to take my mom, my brother, and I on the great

East Coast American history tour, and I've come to love history. My father does, I do, and I think

all of our family are enamored with history, but we made our way up the East Coast from the South,

and we stopped at every single battlefield or historic monument you could possibly imagine.

And so by the time we finally reached New York City, we were all a bit exhausted, but still enthralled in

all the newness and everything that we were seeing. And even as a young boy, I remember that first

arrival and trip into New York City. And this was back, goodness gracious, this was back in the late 60s or

early 70s. And my father, with I think the Alabama plates at that time, had Heart of Dixie on the bottom

of them. So my father, you know, a smart man that he is and never asking for directions, took the wrong

turn off the off ramp up there, and we ended up in Harlem. And I remember the anxiety, you could feel

the anxiety level in the car rising, because that was a dangerous time in the city and in Harlem at that

time. And I remember my mom rolling down the window and asking a very kind, elderly, African-American

black gentleman, please, sir, could you help us get out of here and find our way? And we did. But I

remember that first experience of going to New York City and just being so impressed with everything.

And I remember we went there to see a show called Three on a Match. It was one of these game shows

that was held at NBC Studios at 30 Rockefeller Center. And I remember that experience and seeing that.

But I remember most about the city was the busyness, the energy, and how smartly dressed all the people

were. It was very impressive. And of course, the most impressive thing to me as a young boy, being in

Manhattan for the first time, was the majesty, the grandeur, the awesomeness of the buildings. I mean, I remember

walking up as a young boy and just, you know, just looking up, and you keep looking up and up and up and up and up.

And just the height and expanse of the buildings. And I remember thinking to myself, how in the world

did people do this? How could people make these buildings and create this incredible space?

I was in awe, awestruck with the majesty and grandeur of the cityscape of New York City.

Now, Mark chapter 13, which we read the last section from this morning, opens with a scene of

Mark 13 · chapter mention

Jesus and one of his followers as they are leaving the temple, the temple compound in Jerusalem.

In fact, let me read to you in verse 1 of Mark 13.

And as Jesus came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him,

Look, teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings.

The temple was an incredible space. It was something to behold.

Perhaps you could relate to it if those of you who visited New York City, you may

recall your own first experience there and what impressed you with that.

Or if you've not been to New York City, perhaps you remember the first time you saw our

nation's capital, perhaps it was the National Cathedral, or if you've had the opportunity

to travel out west and driven from the east to the west and seen the Rocky Mountains as

they rise up behind the city of Denver.

It just takes your breath away.

It's just an incredible experience.

It's awe-inspiring.

It's awe-inspiring.

That there is something here greater than ourselves.

And you get a sense, at least I did, of the transcendence of things in the world.

I was left with a sense of both excitement, but also it humbled me.

It reminded me of my humanness and also a sense of quiet confidence in the world around me.

In Mark chapter 13, verse 2, after that follower of Jesus, one of his disciples says to him and

Mark 13:2

explains about the temple and the buildings and the stones, Jesus replies to him,

Do you see these great buildings?

I tell you the truth.

There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.

Everything will be destroyed.

Well, you can imagine what the reaction of that first follower, that early disciple of Jesus,

how he must have responded when he heard that.

Because the temple, I don't know if you know much about the temple.

I know a little bit and I want to learn more.

But scholars tell us that the temple, the outside compound or wall of the temple, the western wall particularly,

was probably about four to five football fields in length.

And if you travel to Jerusalem as a spiritual pilgrim during the feast, the festivals, and the holidays,

as you're moving towards Jerusalem, Jerusalem is up.

You go up and into Jerusalem.

And it would be incredible.

You could have seen the temple compound and the temple itself, the exterior of the Holy of Holies.

You could have seen it from a distance.

And as a follower of Yahweh, it would have encouraged your heart.

It would have lifted your spirits to see the magnificence, the beauty, the awe, the wonder of that temple,

which is the seat of your faith and the God whom you worship.

So it must have been quite a shock to that early disciple, that follower of Jesus,

to hear the Lord say,

Do you see these buildings?

Not one stone will be left upon another.

Well, it begs the question, I think, for us is,

where do you and I, where do we find a sense of peace and security?

Where do you find your confidence and your trust?

Many people find it in the created order,

in the sense of the creation without,

outside of us,

like the Rocky Mountains.

Others may find their peace and security,

their confidence and trust in their family,

in the relationships,

which are anchors for them.

Some would look to government,

look to government and the civil realm

for security and peace and confidence.

Others look to religion

as a source of strength.

Still others might look to their possessions,

you know,

the one with the most toys at the end wins.

Some look to what they have for their security.

Others may look to their retirement account,

their 401k or their investments.

In times of stress and uncertainty,

we tend to cling to what we know

and what we trust,

because that's where we find our security.

What if someday all that you knew and trusted

and believed was secure

was taken away?

I remember I was a young clergyman,

a young minister,

a curate,

an assistant

at a downtown,

a beautiful downtown church,

and our young adults

were going on a walk

for muscular dystrophy.

And I told my dad,

because I had a big wedding that night,

that evening I was officiating,

and I said,

Dad, you go ahead

and go on the walk with them

and I'll meet you back at the house

and then we'll go from there.

And so I remember Dad

coming back from the walk

for muscular dystrophy

and feeling so,

just not sweating

and not feeling himself.

And so I called a friend

from the church,

from the parish

who was a physician,

and Andy came over

and he checked my dad out

and he said to my dad,

his name is Joe,

and he said to me,

Victor,

I think we need to get your dad

to the emergency room

right away.

So Dad followed me

in his car

down to the emergency room

of the hospital

and then I went on

to take care of the wedding.

I came back thinking

his car would not be there

in the ER parking lot

any longer

and so I rolled back in,

I saw his car,

I was surprised,

and I walked into the ER

and dressed like this,

you know,

with collar and everything on

and one of the nurses

pulled me aside,

she grabbed me

and she said,

I've got to tell you something.

I need to tell you

that your dad

has had a serious heart attack.

What?

What?

And she took me up

into the ICU.

Thankfully,

my dad made it

through that experience

and that sort of

dark night of the soul,

but that was the first time

that I realized

my father

would not live forever.

I never knew,

really knew and experienced

that one day

my dad would pass away.

that never was made real

to me

until that experience.

So what would you do?

How would you react

if everything,

all that you trusted

and put your confidence in,

someday is taken away?

This at least in part

is the point

of Mark chapter 13.

Mark 13 · chapter mention

It's often called

Mark's little apocalypse.

Mark chapter 13.

Mark 13 · chapter mention

It's a distillation,

if you will,

a condensed version

of the main points

of the book of Revelation.

And that's why

it's often called

Mark's little apocalypse.

Now,

I've sort of drawn

the title for this sermon

as awake,

alert,

and unafraid.

But it could also

be titled

unexpected,

unplanned,

and unwelcome.

I remember

holding a dinner party

many years ago.

I love dinner parties,

but I don't like

to host them.

And guys and gals,

I don't know

how you all do it.

I stand amazed

at you,

those of you

who can cook

and greet

and entertain

and be back.

I can't do it.

I've tried.

And it stresses me out

to the max.

And I remember

having people over

for a dinner party

and I wanted,

you know,

wanted everything

to be right.

And I was busy

and I was behind

as is typical for me,

late for everything.

And I remember

the first group

of folks came

to the door

and knocked

on the door.

I opened the door

in horror

to see that it was

them,

some of my guests.

And I told them,

I said,

look,

I'm not ready

for you yet.

Go away.

Go away.

Come back

in 30 minutes.

And I literally,

I did that.

I said,

just drive around

the block,

visit the neighborhood.

Well,

it's this kind

of experience

that Jesus

wants to prevent

in one sense.

That he is coming

again.

He will return

in power

and great glory.

And when the

Son of Man returns,

will he find faith?

On the earth.

Will we be ready?

Will we welcome him?

Will his agenda

and his timing

and his coming,

is that more important?

Or is my dinner party,

my career,

my relational pursuits,

my acquiring possessions,

my investments,

or my striving for whatever,

is that more important

than his second coming?

Well,

I want to look briefly

at the context

this morning

of this section

of Mark chapter 13,

Mark 13:27

verses 27 and following.

And I want to explore

with you

these main points

or these sort of

life lessons,

I think,

that Jesus

teaches us

and leaves us with

about being awake,

alert,

but also unafraid.

For like the temple

that is going to be

torn apart,

stone upon stone

taken down,

it seems to me

that Jesus is telling us

in this section

of Mark chapter 13

Mark 13 · chapter mention

that the building blocks,

the bedrock

of both society,

culture,

nature,

and even our personal lives,

everything is going

to be shaken.

Everything

is going to be shaken.

And ultimately,

everything is going

to be swept away.

This is why we call it

the end times.

The end times.

I love the,

I saw a bumper sticker,

or heard about

a bumper sticker

which I think

is absolutely perfect.

I mean,

I love Washington,

D.C.

and I've worked here

in the Pentagon

and had two tours

of duty here.

I'm coming back

after this next year.

I'm on a one-year

assignment to New Orleans,

but I'm coming back

and planting myself here,

God willing.

So I love,

I love D.C.

There's wonderful things

about D.C.

But I think

this sort of bumper sticker

really sort of

capsulates my own experience

of D.C.

Jesus is coming back soon.

Everybody,

look busy.

I thought that was good.

You don't agree.

It's not my fault.

Jesus says that

everything is going

to be shaken.

Everything is going

to be swept away.

And a time will come,

he says earlier

in Mark chapter 13,

Mark 13 · chapter mention

that there will rise up

false religious leaders,

messiahs of a type,

who will lead people astray.

That the world

will experience war

and strife and conflict

as it's never known.

That there will be

natural disasters

and humanitarian crises.

That for us,

his followers,

yes,

there will be

persecution

and intense suffering.

And finally,

Jesus says

in Mark 13

that there will be

betrayal.

Even within families.

It would make

the French Revolution

look like something

minor in comparison.

Brother will betray brother.

Mother will betray daughter.

Children will betray

their parents.

So all of society,

everything,

just completely

comes unglued.

Every stone

is taken down.

And yet,

what remains?

Does anything remain?

Jesus tells us,

yes.

this is what remains.

Let's see.

Well,

I'm looking for the exact...

Well,

anyway,

in Mark chapter 13,

Mark 13 · chapter mention

he tells us

what does remain.

He says,

heaven and earth

will pass away.

But my words,

he says,

will not pass away.

The stone

which the builders

rejected

has become

the chief cornerstone.

And this is marvelous

in our eyes.

Brothers and sisters,

when all is shaken

and swept away,

the only thing

that remains,

the only thing

that will remain,

is Jesus Christ.

Christ,

and his body,

the church.

And yet,

beloved,

the only,

the only way

you will

come to know

and experience

and learn

that Jesus Christ

is all you need

is until you're

put in a position,

in a situation,

in which Jesus Christ

really is all you have.

He's all you have.

Christ and his church

are all you have.

And then you'll discover

that his words are true.

He really is

all you need.

Well,

all of this begs

the question,

I think,

of,

as Dan was praying

and alluding to,

what are we to do

with this?

Okay,

what,

how are we to respond?

Can we prepare?

I mean,

what,

how do we think

and get our minds

around this?

You know,

for many Christians,

for many believers,

well-meaning believers,

the second coming

seems like

light years away.

Now,

most of you all

here this morning,

you're,

you're in the,

maybe not the first

quarter of your lives,

but you're in the early part,

perhaps,

hopefully,

God willing,

you're in the early

second quarter

of your lives.

And,

and I,

I'm in,

I'm in the start

of my fourth quarter,

right?

Probably.

So,

all of this

is closer to me.

It's much closer

to me.

But nevertheless,

it impacts us both

the same.

But some Christians

fall into the danger

or the temptation

to thinking that,

well,

the second coming,

since it's been

so delayed,

I mean,

it could be

months,

it could be years,

it could be decades,

it could be centuries.

So,

if the second coming

is that far away,

how and why

should it

have any impact

on me?

What difference

does it make?

Well,

Mark's gospel

and this section

in chapter 13

really sort of,

sort of drops a bomb,

if you will,

into the middle

of all that.

And Mark's point

is that since

the time is unknown,

and it is,

neither the son,

the son does not

know the hour,

only the father.

But since the time

is unknown,

it could be today,

it could be this evening,

it could be at midnight,

or at sunrise.

And Jesus warns us

not to slip

into complacency,

into that,

that sort of mindset,

if you will,

of one of my great heroes,

Scarlett O'Hara

from Gone with the Wind.

Her phrase,

if you haven't read the book,

it's a great read,

I love the book.

The movie is fantastic,

but the book is,

is great.

And Scarlett,

throughout the book,

her mantra is,

I'm not going to think

about that today.

I'll think about that tomorrow.

For tomorrow

is another day.

So she refuses

to put off,

and she continues

to put off,

that which is

most pressing for her.

But Mark encourages us,

the Lord encourages us

through the gospel of Mark,

to be awake,

to be alert,

and to be unafraid.

Well, let's look

at those things.

What does it mean

to be awake?

To be awake.

C.S. Lewis wrote

that we live in a world

that is spiritually deaf,

almost as if the world

is asleep.

The Bible tells us

that in many times

and in many places,

there really is

no fear of God.

There is no fear of God.

And what I told

dear friends

and colleagues,

and I visited

some of the most

remotest parts of Africa.

I mean,

the middle of the jungle,

in the Congo,

the Central African Republic,

South Sudan,

places where,

you know,

no one would normally

ever go.

And they asked me

about our life

in the West

and particularly

in America.

And I shared with them

what I love about

you all

and just being with you

is that you know,

you know you feel

daily

your need for God.

We in the West,

we really have

no need of Him.

And so many,

so many today

just dismiss,

oh,

they give lip service

and credence to it,

but they dismiss

the existence

and the power of God.

So much of our culture

today

and our world

is essentially asleep.

And to be asleep

means that you're

unaware

of what's happening

around you.

Friday afternoon,

I was so tired

and I was checking

into a hotel

near the Pentagon

and the room

wasn't ready,

so I sat down

on the comfortable

couch in the lobby

and I promptly

fell asleep.

I mean,

I fell asleep.

And I woke up

to the sound of laughter.

I could hear a couple

of,

there were old people

like me too,

and there were

a couple of people

laughing at me

and kind of

looking at me.

Well,

to fall asleep

is to lose sight

of your surroundings

and the world

around you.

It's to fall

into your own

dream state

and your own

created world.

It's asleep

to me,

it means asleep

means to be

unable or unwilling

to respond.

When you're asleep,

you're in your own

world.

And Jesus tells us,

don't fall asleep.

Don't become

complacent.

stay awake.

Stay aware

of the world

around you.

To be awake

is to see.

Of course,

the metaphor

for sight

is so powerful

and popular

in the scriptures

and particularly

in the gospels.

To be awake

is to see

the world around you

as it is,

but also to see it

through the eyes

of your faith,

to see it as God

sees it.

To be awake

is to be able

to respond

to what you see.

And to be awake

is to be on guard.

On guard.

And I've got to tell you

as one who has

cared for

and been the chaplain

or pastor

for a lot of

young men and women

who stand guard duty

around the world,

I can tell you

that being on guard

is often

somewhat

can be

kind of boring.

You know,

it's not flashy.

It's not sexy.

You know,

it's your

standing guard duty

for four hours.

And yet,

is being on guard,

is it essential?

Absolutely.

Is it important?

You better believe it.

And if someone

falls asleep

on guard duty,

that's a punishable

offense.

Because you've put us

all in jeopardy

and at risk.

And so to be on guard

means to be aware

and alert

to the situation

around you.

And then Jesus

tells us,

as he's saying,

to stay awake.

He's also reminding us

to stay alert

as we are awake.

To be aware.

He uses the analogy

of the fig tree.

You know,

when you go out

in the spring,

early spring,

you begin to see

the leaves bud

and the trees.

I drove down

the GW Parkway,

which I love yesterday.

And, you know,

I forgot,

I've forgotten the song,

All the Leaves Are Brown.

Who sang that?

I forget.

Who was that?

Yeah,

the mom's about,

right.

I just,

I love that song.

All the leaves are brown.

And I found myself

singing that again.

And I love the,

you know,

I love the brownness,

if you will.

But also,

look forward to the time

when spring will come again.

And those beautiful leaves

and trees will bud.

And George,

George Washington Parkway

is absolutely gorgeous

to drive down.

Jesus tells the story

of the fig tree

because he wants us

to be aware

of what's going on

in the world around us.

You know,

the Bible,

I know you all know this,

I know Tommy and Dan

have preached about this

and spoken to it,

that the Bible,

the New Testament,

uses two words

for time,

right?

We have,

we have Kairos,

Kairos time.

Sorry,

we have Kronos,

I'm sorry.

We have Kronos time.

And then we have

Kairos time,

which is

God's time.

And Kairos time

is a moment in time,

a special moment

in time.

And you know,

if you missed,

if you missed

your Kronos,

if you missed your flight,

as I've done before,

wait,

open the door,

please open the door.

If you missed

your Kronos time,

you can probably

book another flight.

But if you miss

Kairos time,

which I almost did

this summer,

that was on a cruise

when the ship set sail.

And when the ship

is gone,

brothers and sisters,

it isn't coming back.

So Kairos time

is that time

that is

a moment

that you don't

want to miss.

Jesus tells us

to be aware

of the times

in which we live.

You know,

I've done a bit

of reflecting

over this

past few weeks

and as we see

just so much turmoil

going on

and just trying

to step back

from the news feed

and all that's happening

and seeing,

you know,

so much happening

and just asking

the question,

Lord,

what's going on here?

What's happening here?

Lord,

what's your take

on all this?

What's your perspective?

How am I

to understand this?

And I think

as we look

and reflect

on this passage

and the world

around us today,

we see that there

is division

going on.

There's division

between the races.

There's a division

between men

and women,

between the sexes.

and the relationships.

Clearly,

in our experience,

there's a great division

between nations

and we find division

even at the heart

of families

and the relationships

that we value

the most.

it's a critical time

and to know

the times

in which we live

is the first

portion

of being aware.

Being aware

also means

simply doing

our duty.

Simply doing

our duty.

A friend of mine

used to say

that the main thing

is to keep

the main thing

the main thing.

The main thing

is to keep

the main thing

the main thing.

To be about

the great commission

and the great commandment.

Right?

Loving God

and loving people.

And how that

works itself out

in each of our

unique circumstances

and situations.

And looking

for opportunities

to share

our faith.

To communicate

the hope

that we have

within us.

And yet always

always doing it

with gentleness

reverence

respect.

But we

have an opportunity

to tell people

about Jesus

who he is

and why he means

so much to us

and what he's done

for us.

And that they

can have the same.

I heard so many times

I hear from

sailors

and soldiers

and Marines

and even

some of our

general officers

some of our

leading military

figures

that you know

and I don't claim

to have a great faith

but they would say

oh chaplain

I wish

I wish

I had your faith.

And my response

to them

is always

you can.

you can

you can have

the same

faith

the same trust

the same experience

simply doing our duty

being faithful

in the little

being on guard

it's not exciting

it's often boring

but it's essential.

and third

to be

to be aware

is to stay connected

to stay connected

to Christ

and his body.

You know

the great enemy

of our soul

one of the things

that he wants to do

without a doubt

is to not only divide

divide people

and everything

but he wants

to isolate us

he wants to isolate us

from

the body

of believers

from the church.

and so

be very aware

of the temptation

to

and especially

if you're more

of an introvert

or you're

dealing with

difficult circumstances

in your own life

that there's always

a temptation

to become isolated

and to move away

from Christ

and his church.

But Jesus

reminds us

to stay connected

to stay alert

to stay aware.

Well

in this

Advent season

it's a season

of preparation

as Dan mentioned

as we are singing

about and will continue

over the next

four Sundays.

It's a season

of preparation

and yet

we're told

that ultimately

everything will be

swept away

that in the second

coming

Christ will return.

Advent

is for us

in the church

it is a unique

spiritual tool

from God's toolbox.

you know

one of the

songs we read

we sang

rather

the words

came from

St. Ambrose

and from Martin Luther

and Martin Luther

described the human

condition

he said

the heart

the heart

is like an

idol factory

I-D-O-L

idol factory

and Advent

is God's

righteous

hammer

to smash

the idols

of our hearts

the idols

of my own

heart

when my agenda

my pursuits

become so much

more important

than Christ

and his

work in the world

and in my life.

Advent

is a

is a reminder

it's a call

it's a wake up call

to all of us

as believers.

Now Advent

finally can

can leave us

in these scripture

readings today

they may leave you

feeling anxious

or perhaps

a bit

fearful.

Maybe you discover

that as I've done

in the past

that Lord

I

forgive me

I

often want

what I want

more than

what you want

and Lord

I don't know

how to

I don't know

how to

I don't know

how to let go

of some of

these things

I don't

I don't know

how to want

more of what

what you want

but I

but I

I think I want

that

I do want

that

Jesus

beloved

wants us

to be

not only

awake

and alert

but he also

wants us

to be

unafraid

unafraid

now I am

I am

no hero

far from

it

I was

walking

in the

pentagon

yesterday

a Friday

a Friday

afternoon

and there

was someone

there who

I do not

want to see

I just

I don't

want to see

him

and that

tells me

that I

probably need

to see

him

I probably

need to be

reconciled

with him

if there's

anything

between us

but I

didn't want

to see

him

and I

was going

to walk

down a

passageway

that I

might have

seen him

and I

heard this

scripture

again

this Mark

Mark 13 · chapter mention

chapter 13

be awake

be alert

but don't

be afraid

don't be

afraid

so I

said

Lord

I'm not

going to

be afraid

you're in

charge

you're in

control

if I run

into him

so be it

and we'll

deal with it

then with

your help

but if not

there'll be

another time

Jesus

wants us

to be

unafraid

and that's

why he

tells us

ahead of

time

of what's

going to

take place

he describes

it as a

man going

on a

journey

a man

going on

a journey

who puts

his servants

in charge

of many

things

and leaves

the watchman

on guard

in Mark

Mark 13 · chapter mention

chapter 13

Jesus tells

us what

is going

to occur

and he

wants us

to be

unafraid

in fact

I love

every year

I saw

at Djibouti

which was

just such

a blessing

I'm such

a dope

but I

love

it's a

wonderful

life

I love

that

in the

middle

of the

darkness

in Djibouti

in some

really

difficult

times

they

decided

to put

that

movie

up

on a

big

screen

not a

big

screen

a

massive

they

portrayed

it

on

some

kind

of

wall

or

something

so

all

of

us

could

watch

that

movie

it's

a

wonderful

life

and

Joseph

who's

the

angel

in

that

movie

he

says

the

very

same

things

that

we

find

in

scripture

whenever

God's

people

are

afraid

whenever

we

have

an

encounter

with

the

divine

whenever

we

have

a

transcendent

experience

whenever

an

angel

descends

and

speaks

to

human

being

what's

the

first

response

fear

and

you

know

what

the

word

out

of

every

angel

that

appears

every

angel

says

do

not

be

afraid

do

not

be

afraid

for

behold

I

bring

you

great

tidings

great

tidings

do

not

be

afraid

often

I've

served

half

my

career

the

marines

and

the

marines

before

they go

on a

patrol

or

particularly

if

they're

in a

hostile

environment

and

potentially

will

run

into a

firefight

insurgents

and

combat

marines

and

soldiers

they will

always

almost

without

fail

if

their

chaplain

their unit

chaplain

is there

they'll

have

that

chaplain

come

kind of

huddle

with

them

and

they'll

want

to

have

a

prayer

together

and

I

found

that

the

marines

will

often

ask

me

they

said

they

call

chaplains

chaps

and

they

say

chaps

can

you

can

you

give

us

a

devotional

thought

can

you

give

us

a

word

something

we

can

just

take

with

us

and

I

remember

one

of

the

marines

as

I

recall

asking

you

know

hey

chaps

could

you

could

you

just

distill

the

whole

bible

down

for

us

and

just

you

know

a

couple

of

big

key

points

power

points

bullet

points

and

I

said

okay

guys

here

here's

here's

where

we're

at

there

are

two

great

themes

to

the

bible

the

first

is

that

God

loves

you

absolutely

he

loves

you

and

because

he

loves

you

you

can

choose

to

trust

him

if

you

want

to

but

the

second

great

theme

of

the

bible

is

equally

true

and

just

as

poignant

and

that

is

this

I'm

God

and

you're

not

you

see

beloved

I

believe

this

whole

life

this

whole

life's

journey

is

part

of

its

design

to

help

us

come

to

grips

of

the

fact

that

there

is

a

God

who

does

love

us

and

is

in

control

and

that

no

matter

what

happens

you're

ultimately

safe

with

him

but

you know

what I've

also

discovered

you'll

only trust

a person

to the

extent

that you

know

them

the

extent

and

all

of

life

all

of

life

is

designed

by

a

heavenly

father

who

loves

you

dearly

wants

the

best

for

you

but

he's

designed

life

so

that

you

and

I

will

have

opportunities

to

get

to

know

him

as

I

said

Jesus

Christ

is

all

you

need

well

you'll

never

come

to

know

experience

or

perhaps

even

believe

that

until

Jesus

Christ

is

all

that

you

have

your

past

is

forgiven

your

future

is

now

secure

in

Christ

and

so

you

can

experience

his

peace

in

the

present

moment

your

past

forgiven

your

future

secure

you

can

experience

his

peace

in

the

present

moment

finally

I

still

love

I must

tell you

I still

love to

visit

New York

City

it is

an

amazing

town

and

some

of

my

dearest

friends

live

there

and

it's

quite

a

place

and

I

still

am

awestruck

by the

buildings

and

the

wonder

of

it

all

and

every

time

I'm

flying

in

and

landing

particularly

at

Newark

if

I've

got

a

window

seat

on

the

left

side

of

the

plane

and

it's

a

landing

from

the

northwest

I know

the flight

pattern

now

I can

look out

the window

and it's

a clear

day

I can

see

Manhattan

and