On this day 23 years ago, I boarded a city bus in Denver, CO. That bus took me to a government building where I got on a van with a handful of other young men. That van took us to the airport, where we boarded a plane bound for San Antonio, TX. Upon arriving in San Antonio, we boarded another bus. Then shortly after we passed under the sign, “Welcome to Lackland Air Force Base,” the fun began.
Don’t get me wrong, that first night was anything but fun. Neither were the second or third nights. But that first night started me on an incredible journey that I could have never imagined. That journey covered 18 states, 12 countries, and 10 time zones in 20 years. The Lord used that journey to mold and break and shape me. Sometimes I drifted from Him. Sometimes I flat-out ran from Him. But He fulfilled His promise that He would never leave me or forsake me—even in the depths of a Korean ditch or the backside of a Saudi Arabian desert.
Some people have asked me if I miss the Air Force. In some ways I do. Had the Lord not called me into the pastorate, I would have stayed until they took my boots away. But the fact is that the Lord did call—and when we respond to His call, He changes our desires. I thank God that He allowed me to serve this great nation in the way that I did for 20 years. It was a blessing and an honor and a privilege. But even more than that, I thank Him that He has called me out of that into a new kind of service. And I am especially thankful that this time, He’s doing it without any yelling or forced marches!
1 Corinthians 1:9
Don’t get me wrong, that first night was anything but fun. Neither were the second or third nights. But that first night started me on an incredible journey that I could have never imagined. That journey covered 18 states, 12 countries, and 10 time zones in 20 years. The Lord used that journey to mold and break and shape me. Sometimes I drifted from Him. Sometimes I flat-out ran from Him. But He fulfilled His promise that He would never leave me or forsake me—even in the depths of a Korean ditch or the backside of a Saudi Arabian desert.
Some people have asked me if I miss the Air Force. In some ways I do. Had the Lord not called me into the pastorate, I would have stayed until they took my boots away. But the fact is that the Lord did call—and when we respond to His call, He changes our desires. I thank God that He allowed me to serve this great nation in the way that I did for 20 years. It was a blessing and an honor and a privilege. But even more than that, I thank Him that He has called me out of that into a new kind of service. And I am especially thankful that this time, He’s doing it without any yelling or forced marches!
1 Corinthians 1:9
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment