Dawg Days of Summer

Boy am I missing my family! The Summer is in full swing now and the temperature is still steadily rising. As I'm attached to an active duty unit (595th Transportation Terminal Group), Summer has been the time when many of the Soldiers are leaving and their replacements are arriving. It's been great getting to know them and I wish them nothing but the best at their next duty station.

With the new batch coming in I'm enjoying the fruit of my labor over the past several months. The "coffee house" ministry is a big hit with the newcomers and has spread to other commands in the building. The newcomers are being told the Chaplain section has the "best coffee in the building" and the traffic continues to grow.

The Bible studies are also established and there's a faith commitment among many of the new officers. I have 7 different Bible studies/Communion services scheduled each week at various locations across southern Kuwait and 2 world religions workshops going on at present. The counseling opportunities have increased with Soldiers becoming more comfortable and feeling that I'm approachable. I'm once again flying solo as my Chaplain Assistant was only with me for a little over a month.

One of my quiet times during this deployment was a simple one from the "Our Daily Bread" devotional for June 21st (Father's Day). It was rather convicting and has been in the back of my mind ever since. Now that my tour is coming to an end, it's moving to the forefront of my mind. Essentially, the devotion pointed out that "If we died tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of days. But the family left behind would feel the loss for the rest of their lives. Why then do we invest so much in our work and so little in our children's lives?"

Ouch. Could someone get the dagger out of my heart?

I know I'll have to make some changes when I get back. I want to be a better daddy. My boys (and wife) deserve better! I just hope I have the discipline to make them more of a priority (and not just have it be lip service).

The Wandering Chaplain
Psalm 127:3