Free Republic

Atheists aren’t limiting their attacks in religion in the military to demonizing Christians. It turns out they’re also agitating for their own chaplains. I find this amusing. I can just imagine the atheist chaplain in different military scenarios. Atheist military chaplain on the eve of battle: “You’re going into battle tomorrow. No one is watching over you; no one is at your side; and you’re not cradled in anyone’s divine love. Have fun and be careful.” Atheist military chaplain in a fox hole: “We’re going to die! We’re going to die! And after that . . . nothing!!!” Atheist military...

A chaplain who was awarded the Bronze Star has spoken out about the tour – and what appears to have been misleading media coverage. In an interview with TheBlaze.com, Lt. Col. Jon Trainer, USAF, discussed the award and the PowerPoint presentation that has generated controversy. The presentation, which was titled, “Proper Handling and Disposal of Islamic Religious Material,” was written in the wake of the accidental burning of defaced Korans by American troops. The resulting riots when the news broke lead to 30 deaths, including two U.S. troops. Initial coverage of the medal in conservative media outlets lead former Congressman...

An Air Force chaplain has been awarded a Bronze Star for his service in crafting an especially good PowerPoint about how to treat Islamic religious materials with sensitivity, according to Ohio’s Dayton Daily News. After U.S. troops in Afghanistan accidentally burned copies of the Koran, sparking riots that took over 30 lives, Lieutenant Colonel Jon Trainer came to the rescue: After the accidental burning last year of Qurans by U.S. troops in Afghanistan sparked deadly rioting, an Air National Guard chaplain from Springfield stepped in and potentially saved countless American lives. For his effort, Lt. Col. Jon Trainer received the...

          THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION During my second month of night school, our professor gave a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions, until I read the last one: "What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?" Obviously this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper leaving the last question blank. Before class ended, one student asked if the...

Military chaplains bring the light of Christ to some of the world’s darkest places.On September 4, the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA honored one of its outstanding military chaplains, Vietnam War hero and Medal of Honor recipient Father Vincent R. Capodanno, MM, with a special memorial Mass in Washington, DC. Dubbed “the Grunt Padre,” Father Capodanno was killed on a Vietnam battlefield in 1967 while administering to wounded and dying US Marines; he was officially proclaimed a “Servant of God” in 2006 and his cause for beatification has been initiated. Archbishop for the Military Services Timothy P. Broglio was...

          A Thankful Heart Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. — Philippians 4:6 Years ago I taught a message saying that when you ask God for something, you should thank Him ahead of time that you are going to get it because that will help release your manifestation. I believe that. I took the scripture above to mean just that, that when I prayed for something, I should start...

        A PRAYER FOR OUR NATION Our Father and Our God, We praise You for Your goodness to our nation, giving us blessings far beyond what we deserve. Yet we know all is not right with America. We deeply need a moral and spiritual renewal to help us meet the many problems we face. Convict us of sin. Help us to turn to You in repentance and faith. Set our feet on the path of Your righteousness and peace. We pray today for our nation's leaders. Give them the wisdom to know what is right, and...

NEW YORK — A long-serving Air Force chaplain has left the Southern Baptist Convention after the conservative denomination publicly questioned his attendance at a same-sex civil union ceremony at his base in New Jersey. The chaplain, Col. Timothy Wagoner, is remaining on active duty and has affiliated with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, which holds more moderate views on homosexuality and some other issues than the Southern Baptists. "I find very little that is more important and nothing that is more exhilarating than providing for the religious freedoms and spiritual care of all service members and their families — and will...

A USAF chaplain and the promise of God “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.” (Exodus 20:12 ESV)By Julio Severo In 1987, Dr. Arthur Vincent, a Lutheran minister and theology professor, visited Brazil for a ministers’ meeting. Even with his advanced age, he traveled the whole world, from Nigeria to Philippines, to encourage and build the people of God in the important mission of taking the Gospel to a lost world. He even participated in the Lausanne Congress for World Evangelization. His passion...

        MEDITATION ON SUCCESS "Do not let this Book of Law (The Torah) depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful." (Joshua 1:8) "Great success, like disgrace, can bring great trouble. Success which advances ego can make you lose your way." (Tao 13.) A lawyer once commented to me, "If you preachers ever convince people to live by the Ten Commandments, I will be out of business." Now there is a thought: lawyers out of...

Two Republican congressmen and a military chaplains’ organization are crying foul after the U.S. Army confirmed that an Army chaplain officiated a same-sex wedding ceremony for two female soldiers last month in the base chapel at Fort Polk, La. “The liberal social experiment with our military continues. A same-sex marriage-like ceremony should not have occurred at Fort Polk, especially since the people of Louisiana have made it abundantly clear that our state does not recognize same-sex marriages or civil unions,” Louisiana Republican Rep. John Fleming said on Wednesday. “My frustration is compounded by the fact that a social agenda, which...

        FDR'S D-DAY PRAYER JUNE 6TH, 1944 Films such as "Saving Private Ryan", "The Thin Red Line", and "U 571" bring to life the struggles of a whole generation of Americans who fought tyranny in World War II. No movie, however, could adequately capture the sense of dedication and courage which so many ordinary men and women demonstrated in order to bring an end to the horrors that were being committed against innocent people around the world. Sadly, this generation is passing on, as about 1,000 of these heroes are now dying each day due to...

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Sunday Chapel ~ MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND 2012 ~ TAPS Canteen Mission Statement Showing support and boosting the morale ofour military and our allies' militaryand family members of the above.Honoring those who have served before. In honor of those who lost their lives while serving our country, we would like to share with you President Ronald Reagan’s 1986 Memorial Day remarks at Arlington National Cemetery: Today is the day we put aside to remember fallen heroes and to pray that no heroes will ever have to die for us again. It’s a day...

The Obama administration “strongly objects” to provisions in a House defense authorization bill that would prohibit the use of military property for same-sex “marriage or marriage-like” ceremonies, and protect military chaplains from negative repercussions for refusing to act against their consciences, as, for example, in being ordered to perform a same-sex marriage ceremony. In a policy statement released Wednesday, the White House Office of Management and Budget outlined numerous objections to aspects of the fiscal year 2013 National Defense Authorization Bill (H.R. 4310). The bill was reported out of the House Armed Services Committee last week and is set to...

I'm gobsmacked! Sitting here on a Sunday morning, pulling some reserve duty at AFLOA and listening to the bells at Andrews Chapel One ring out "Sweet Hour of Prayer" across the campus! I wonder how long it'll be before somebody complains and it stops? Or demands the Muslim call to prayer be broadcast 5 times a day and the Chaplain Corps rolls over?

        TODAY I CHOOSE TO SUCCEED! I am here because of prior choices I have made. My thoughts control my actions. My actions determine my destiny. My destiny is controlled by my choices. Today I choose to... • Live my life with honor, courage and commitment, • Follow the rules and do my best in all my endeavors, • Perform like a mature and professional military person, • Be honest with myself and not make excuses for my actions • Admit when I’m wrong and be held accountable • Maintain a positive attitude. I am who...

        YOUR RELIGION, NOT MINE "Religion is a great force, the only real motive force in the world. But you must get at [someone] through [her/his] own religion, not yours." --George Bernard Shaw Real wisdom here; real insight. The adage presupposes the benefits of faith, but it nicely understands that faith is a personal matter unique to each individual. This is not to subvert the strength of organized or institutional religions, but rather to highlight the personal element each must bring to belief. Faith groups, temples, mosques, churches, creeds, doctrines, organizations . . . all of...

        JUST FOR TODAY As I go through some "troubles" in my own life, I've worked out this "formula" to help me be a useful and happy person. See if it doesn't work for you! JUST FOR TODAY: I will be happy. I will assume to be true what Abraham Lincoln said: "Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be." JUST FOR TODAY: I will try to strengthen my mind. I will study. I will learn something useful. I will read something that requires effort, thought and concentration. JUST FOR TODAY:...

        WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU GET The poet wrote, "Two men looked out through prison bars: one saw mud; the other saw stars." Commenting on this, Father John Powell once wrote: "In the pursuit of the fullness of human life, everything depends on this frame of reference, this habitual outlook, this basic vision which I have of myself, others, life, the world, and God. What we see is what we get." Don't you find that to be true? There's a lot about our world that isn't the way we would want it to be:...

        MAKING ASSUMPTIONS A story making the rounds this past week told of a policeman who was heading home after a long, hard day on patrol. He had dealt with a whole succession of difficult people, and a mountain of frustrating paperwork. All he wanted at this point was to kick back, unwind, enjoy some peace and quiet, and maybe watch a few innings of baseball on TV. But, as he neared home, he was startled by a vehicle that came careening around a sharp curve and narrowly missed his squad car. As the car passed...

        WHAT KIND OF MODEL ARE YOU? In the early 1700s, two men developed distinct reputations for themselves....one was Jonathon Edwards, a man of integrity, refinement, and character; the other was Max Duke, a well-known criminal. During the last 200 years, their descendants have been traced. In Jonathon Edward's line of descendants, there are 18 college presidents, 200 preachers, 60 prominent leaders, 90 physicians, 32 authors, 65 professors and 300 farmers. On the other hand, Max Duke's descendants include 90 prostitutes, 100 criminals, 145 confirmed drunkards, 300 delinquents and 285 who contracted various social diseases. The...

        AND THIS TOO SHALL PASS An Eastern monarch once charged his wise men to invent him a sentence to be ever in view, and which would be true and appropriate in all times and in all situations. They presented him with the words: ”And this, too, shall pass away.” ~ Abraham Lincoln 30 September 1859 HAPPY 203rd BIRTHDAY, PRESIDENT LINCOLN    

        THE WOMAN WITH THE ROSE John Blanchard stood up from the bench, straightened his Army uniform, and studied the crowd of people making their way through Grand Central Station. He looked for the girl whose heart he knew, but whose face he didn't, the girl with the rose. His interest in her had begun thirteen months before in a Florida library. Taking a book off the shelf he found himself intrigued, not with the words of the book, but with the notes penciled in the margin. The soft handwriting reflected a thoughtful soul and insightful...

        REFLECTIONS ON GROWING OLD(ER) Someone once said that we are now living in the age of age. In fact, there are more old people alive today than at any time in history. Faced with the fact that you will someday be, if you are not already, in the category of the aged, the old, or the elderly, how do you, or will you, look upon the final chapter of your book of life? Some look at age philosophically, like Jack Benny, who said: "Age is a matter of mind; if you don't mind, it doesn't...

        TITLES AND POWER Now I see why powerful people often wear sunglasses....the spotlight blinds them to reality. They suffer from a delusion that power means something. They suffer from the misconception that titles make a difference. They are under the impression that earthly authority will make a heavenly difference. Can I prove my point? Take this quiz: * Name the ten wealthiest people in the world. * Name the last ten Heisman trophy winners. * Name the last ten winners of the Miss America contest. * Name eight people who have won the Nobel or...

        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 many passageways with so many ants constantly traveling...

        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 the...

        THE GIFT OF THE MAGI Those of you who are more "mature" Marines & Sailors will remember one of the pre-eminent TV series of the '50's, Rod Sterling's Twilight Zone. Many of these programs were quite scary, but they usually had a good moral and made the point in a rather unforgettable manner. On one episode, an astronaut is readying for his blast off on a fifty-year mission to outer space. He is to be placed in a state of suspended animation and will not age one day by the time he returns to Earth....

        ATTITUDE Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, and where they had been on vacation. Every afternoon when the man in the bed by...

        THE VISIT A lady in a faded gingham dress and her husband, dressed in a homespun threadbare suit, stepped off the train in Boston, and walked timidly without an appointment into the president's outer office. The secretary could tell in a moment that such backwoods, country hicks had no business at Harvard and probably didn't even deserve to be in Cambridge. She frowned. "We want to see the president", the man said softly. "He'll be busy all day," the secretary snapped. "We'll wait," the lady replied. For hours, the secretary ignored them, hoping that the...

        YOU ARE NOT SUPERMAN There are times when some events of life overwhelm us. Things at home or things at work can drain us. Sometimes we sense an urge to be "Superman" or even "God." We want to "fix" things or "make everything better." In reality, this feeling can be the source of great stress and tension. We sometimes have to admit that certain things can't be fixed; certain things will not go away. Got a problem, talk about it. It may not get "fixed" or go away, but you will feel better! CAPT Thom...

        PSALM 95:1-6 "O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also. The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land. O come, let us worship and bow down: let...

        THE KEY TO FAILURE I recently read a devotion in God's Little Devotional Book for Women, which really touched my life. This book was copyrighted in 1996 by Honor Books, Inc. in Tulsa Oklahoma. The story on pages 98 and 99 tells of a painter who wanted to produce one work which would please everyone. So she painted a picture, and hung it in the public marketplace. She posted directions for people to mark the places they did not like with a small paint brush. She was surprised when she returned to find her picture...

        THE MAN IN THE GLASS I first heard the poem some years ago as a song performed by a former pop musician turned Christian entertainer. Its words had a powerful impact. They were a challenge to self-examination, and a warning about the consequences of life lived without integrity. They were a reminder that each of us must live with his or her self. And that we KNOW what's behind our image, no matter how carefully crafted, or how convincing it may be to others. I wonder if it might also speak to you. It's entitled...

        LEADERSHIP AND LISTENING "Listen to what I am saying," Job cried out to his "friends" in the biblical story. "That is all the comfort I ask from you. Give me a chance to speak, and then, when I am through, sneer if you like." Job didn't ask for much. But it was more than these colleagues were prepared to offer. Unfortunately, such encounters are far too frequent -- even among those we would expect to care about what we think or feel. Back in 1989, Admiral Carlisle Trost (then Chief of Naval Operations) asked a...

        IMPORTANT WORDS The SIX most important words: "I ADMIT I MADE A MISTAKE." The FIVE most important words: "YOU DID A GOOD JOB." The FOUR most important words: "WHAT IS YOUR OPINION?" The THREE most important words: "IF YOU PLEASE." The TWO most important words: "THANK YOU." The LEAST important word: "I" Unknown    

        LIFE CHOICES What would you do? You make the choice. Don't look for a punch line...there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the same choice? At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question: "When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as...

        TIPS FOR THE PITS We have all been there....Blue Monday. Nothing is more miserable than feeling depressed. Depression has been, and continues to be, the world's #1 public health problem. All of us are susceptible to depression. It all begins with the blues, which come and go like the common cold. The "Poor Me" syndrome hits us and drags us to the pits of depression. What are the signs of depression? Dragging through the day, wondering how we will get through it; getting bogged down at the least little obstacle; thinking negatively about everything; all...

An organization representing more than 2,000 of the nation’s 5,000 military chaplains announced Wednesday they would join forces with Catholic Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the Archdiocese for Military Service, saying they will not perform same-sex ceremonies. The 2,000 members of the Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty, a group of evangelical clergy, are concerned about the Pentagon’s memorandum – issued 10 days after the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal took effect – that authorizes chaplains to officiate “any private ceremony.” A Sept. 20 order lifted the military’s long-standing DADT policy, allowing homosexuals to openly serve in the armed forces. While the...

        YOU WILL NEVER BE SORRY FOR..... thinking before speaking, hearing before judging, forgiving your enemies, being candid and frank, helping a fallen friend, being honest in your work, standing by your principles, blocking your ears to gossip, being courteous and kind. Unknown    

        RESERVATIONS Recently, someone stopped by my office, handed me two sheets of paper, and said something to the effect of, "You're always sharing something with people; here's something for you." Then he was gone. Like so many encounters we have along life's way, this one was brief. But it left a lasting impression, and brightened my whole day. The article is definitely a "keeper." Originally written by Jonathan Lee for the Washington Post, it is entitled "Reservations of an Airline Agent." I've abbreviated it due to limited space, but the point is unchanged. Enjoy! "I...

        HOW TO SPEND THE DASH I read of a man who stood to speak at the funeral of a friend. he referred to the dates on her tombstone from the beginning....to the end. he noted that first came the date of her birth and spoke of the following date with tears, but he said what mattered the most of all was the dash between those years. for the dash represents all the time that she spent alive on earth...... and now only those who loved her know what that little line is worth. for it...

        U-571 U-571 is a truly an "on the edge of your seat" film about a US Navy crew trying to sail a Nazi U-Boat to England in 1942 (won't explain how that happens, see the movie). In one scene, the boat is attacked by depth charges from a German destroyer. The crew turns to the young skipper for guidance and asks what they should do to save the boat and their lives. He says he doesn't know. Somehow they survive this attack. The wise, crusty Chief then has a fatherly chat with the skipper in...

        MOVING BEYOND CAPE BOJADOR The early Portuguese explorers believed that the oceans were impassable below Cape Bojador, a point on the West African coast. When sailors set aside their fears and moved past Cape Bojador, they found that their fears were groundless, that their limitations were imaginary. We all have our own Cape Bojador. We fear things that we need not fear. We draw boundaries around areas of our lives and decide that we can't go past them. Since we believe these false paradigms, we will stay within their artificial boundaries and lose whatever experiences...

Rev. Vincent Lachina JACKSON, August 16, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The claim of a clergyman who is also a chaplain for Planned Parenthood that he is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention has been repudiated by a spokesman for the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board in comments to LifeSiteNews.com Dressed in a clerical collar, Rev. Vincent Lachina urged the crowd gathered for the Mississippi Secretary of State’s Personhood Amendment Hearing last Wednesday to vote against the pro-life amendment. He prefaced his remarks by saying, “I am an ordained Southern Baptist minister with 47 years of service to the family of God....

        WE NEED EACH OTHER Like the light of a fiery meteorite streaking through the night sky, it is becoming increasingly apparent that the destiny of all persons on this planet is moving to an understanding of interrelatedness. As our world grows smaller, due to modern transportation systems and advanced telecommunications, the message is resoundingly clear ... no person is an island. Although there remain "hot spots" around the world, most people are now discovering that we can no longer be independent but rather we must be interdependent. In other words . . .WE NEED EACH...

        INTEGRITY: The Heart of Navy Core Values by A Submariner The following essay was written by a young enlisted submariner as a disciplinary assignment after a Captain's Mast for taking a shortcut in a maintenance procedure. Both the author and his Commanding Officer have agreed to its publication. Integrity is the heart and the very essence of each Navy Core Value, but more importantly, it is the foundation on which every aspect of submarine operations is built. Integrity must be the standard instilled within the innermost heart of every man who takes a submarine to...

        ON A GOOD DAY Our worth is tested every day. We are given the choice of being nice to people or uncharitable. We are given the choice of doing our work as well as we can or of goofing off. Some days it seems the tests are harder than on others, but every day brings with it some kind of test. Even the really good days! To have everything go wonderfully for us, to feel like a million dollars, to have one of those days when nothing and nobody can upset us, they are days...

        A FRIEND IS.... The person who gives you the better of two choices. Holds your hand when you’re scared. Helps you fight those who try to take advantage of you. Thinks of you at times when you are not there. Reminds you of what you have forgotten. Helps you put the past behind you, but understands when you need to hold on a little longer. Stays with you so that you have confidence. Goes out of their way to make time for you. Helps you clear up your mistakes. Helps you deal with pressure from...

        DOING WELL WHAT OTHERS MAY NOT SEE In the New Testament scriptures, the Apostle Paul talks about the importance of striving for excellence. He writes, "Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." (Philippians 4:8) Allow me to share with you a story about striving for excellence. On one of the arches of a magnificent cathedral in Europe is sculptured a face of great beauty. Yet it can be...