I know that some of you are statisticians and so this is for you. Here is an example of a “donut of misery” that reflects my time in Iraq. Still a long way to go.I chuckle at the thought of…
Forever Changed #7: War is hell (or a great place to find heaven again)
Today I will let you pick the title you like: WAR IS HELL or A GREAT PLACE TO FIND HEAVEN AGAIN. During the American Civil War, U.S. Gen. Tecumseh Sherman commented while torching civilian population centers that “war is hell.”…
Forever Changed #6: Band of Brothers
WoW! Issue 6, that feels good to say. Today I am reminded that 61 years ago more than 130,000 Allies flew, glided, jumped and boated their way to France and onward. President Dwight D Eisenhower gave the following words on…
Forever Changed #5: Freedom of Religion
This week’s edition is not hard to write. Yet I am finding it difficult to determine what to include and what to leave out. I’ll start with the bad news. Then it’s all uphill. The Ransomed Heart Team I was…
Forever Changed #4: ‘union is strength’
“The Lion and the three Bulls,” written by the Greek fable writer Aesop: Three bulls lived together for a long time in a pasture. Though they ate and lived side by side, they never spoke with one another. One day…
Forever Changed #3: Strive Together
This week I am reminded of the Scripture that says, “strive together with me in prayers to God for me.” (Rom. 15:30) This verse sticks out because this week has grown increasingly difficult. I have not slept well for some…
Forever Changed #2: giving life and those who have given theirs
I have been wondering all week what God was going to give to me to share with you all and now I know. I have been in country 7 whole days now, and we have had more mortar attacks than…
‘Forever Changed’: Fellow Warriors
My Journal Writings from Balad AB, Iraq April 2005 – Sept 2005 The following is an account of my fourth deployment into the Global War on Terror. I wrote this as a weekly journal/email account I sent back home to…
Preaching peace in a timid church
When ministers are afraid to speak prophetically about peace they fail to be a voice for the Prince of Peace. At the 2012 William Self Preaching Lectures at the McAfee School of Theology, “Preaching Peace in a Crumbling Empire,” Brian…