Week 7 (Tuesday) - 1/2 way done!

Well, we're half way through the program, and we're still rocking! Today, I had the chance to lead a most amazing worhip service. Even though it was only an exercise, it was a truly wonderful experience. The scenario is that I am providing a worship service to my unit of soldiers who have been going nonstop for almost a month with very little sleep. We've been under enemy contact for the last three days (14 wounded; no dead), and we've just received word that we're about to head out another high-risk mission. My task was to meet these soldiers where their needs were the greatest and minister to them through a worship service (without using any notes). Like I said, I did this among my fellow Chaplain students (we were outside in the woods), but it was a very touching time. It really is an amazing feeling to be in a place where you know that you are EXACTLY where Christ wants you to be doing EXACTLY what He wants you to be doing!

I had a chance to catch up on some sleep this weekend, and that's cause for worship in itself. Last Friday, I came in first again in the class run, which is a good feeling. I pulled a muscle in my back yesterday, so that's going to make things fun for PT over the next few days, but life goes on. We're still getting some great material in class, but staring at PowerPoint presentations all day is about to do us all in. I hope that everyone is doing well, and I'll try to post here as often as I can.

In Christ,
Lyde

Week 6 (Tuesday) - Long days

We've got a lot going on with classes, presentations, etc. The days are always full, of course, but the evenings have been packed lately with readings, writing assignments, and creating presentations. Long days right now. These 18-20 hours days are wearing me down a little. In the last phase, the days were long, but we pretty much had the evenings to ourselves (oh, the good ol' days). Kind of tired. Please lift us up in your prayers; we need 'em.

Week 6 (Monday) - Army Drill Weekend

This past weekend, I participated in Army Reserve Drill with my battalion. Even though things are very busy here at Chaplain School, it felt good to be back home with my unit! Among a number of other activities, I was able to lead worship services Sunday morning, and I feel that it went very well. My immediate goal is to get worship services going in every unit in my battalion (depending on how you count it, we have five companies and several other detachments in the battalion). After drill, I hauled buttocks back to Fort Jackson in order to make it back in time for formation (I made it with a good six minutes to spare). Before moving on, I have to say that I know that I’m spoiled at my current unit. Everyone from the Battalion Commander and below appreciates and supports the Chaplaincy. That certainly isn’t the case in every battalion, so I’m counting my blessings!

During classes today, we learned more about effective communications, as well as methods for assessing the religious preferences and needs of a unit. Interesting stuff. Right now, everyone is already looking forward to the long holiday weekend, and it’s only Monday. There are several people here who have never visited Fort Sumter, so we will probably take a road trip down to Charleston for a few days. I know that I’m singing the same old tune, but a full night’s sleep would be wonderful right now (but it ain’t gonna happen this week).

I hope that everyone is doing well. There are several of you who are going through some difficult times right now (you know who you are). I just want you to know that you are definitely in my thoughts and prayers, and I think about y’all often.

In Christ,
Lyde

Week 5 (Thursday) Army green-colored glasses

We spent the entire day on effective Army writing (a little hint: passive voice – bad; active voice – good). After learning about Army writing, we learned more about Army writing. We finally closed the day with Army writing. Whew.

The other day, someone asked via email me why my posts always tend to be so positive and upbeat. Surely, things can’t always be that good, right? Well, that’s true. This isn’t a perfect school, and this isn’t a perfect world. However, I guess it comes down to what you focus on. First of all, it’s really not my style to go around looking for the imperfections and then bashing on those shortcomings. Also, harping on the negative does absolutely nothing to help the situation. Lastly, even on those areas that I do feel need improving, this blog isn’t the appropriate forum to deal with them. As one of my class members stated in regards to Ephesians 4:29, “Build up or shut up.”

Here at the Chaplain School (and I think the whole Army), after each major event or phase, we have an opportunity to discuss with the cadre and staff those areas that we felt went well, as well as identify those areas that need improvement. The cadre and staff take these comments seriously and changes do get made based on these constructive recommendations.

But, yes, there are things that happen that are frustrating. Earlier this week, a situation arose that basically resulted in my being taken out of contention for the Honor Graduate (the student with the top overall score throughout the entire program) award. I feel that mistakes were made, but I do know that they weren’t intentional. Yes, it bothers me…a lot. But what really bothers me more is the fact that this bothers me so much. That tells me that my pride and desire for achievement is blinding me to what I’m actually here for – to learn to be the best chaplain that I can; not be the best chaplain student in the eyes of others. To be honest, I need to work on this pride issue, so this whole situation will, most likely, end up making me a better chaplain than if I had actually won the Honor Graduate award. Only by God’s daily sufficient grace, folks…I need help, too.

Week 5 (Wednesday) - Run, Forrest, Run!

During this morning's PT run, the group that I run with (the seven people who completed the 2-mile run in under 14 minutes) had a chance to run three miles at our own individual pace. Who do ya think came in first? Yep, little ol' me! There was one guy who gave it everything he had and passed me at the end only to realize that we still had another 100 yards to go. He peetered out, and I went trucking right on by for the finish. Now, I know that several of these guys can probably run faster than I can, but at least for this day, I made it in first. It really isn't so much about beating everybody else, but it's a good feeling to be in such great company where we challenge one another to do and be our best.

The rest of the day was spent in class learning about the Army's Intranet portal, spiritual leadership, problem solving, and how to minister/support people who belong to different faith traditions than our own - mind numbingly important stuff. This information is so crucial to have, but it's just a challenge sitting in a classroom all day. I've been doing pushups and other exercises during breaks to both pump and, more importantly, wake me up.

I think that the biggest challenge I'm facing right now is getting motivated to work out in the evenings after class. The problem is that I'll come back to my room and just sit in a dazed stupor. I'm sure that it's a combination of fatigue (I'm still getting up at 4:00AM for Bible study and prayer before morning PT), lethargy from sitting most of the day, being drained from being around people all day (us introverts need some down time), and a pinch of laziness thrown in for good measure. The people who did not pass the initial PT test are required to attend supplemental PT training right after our last class. I may bring my PT clothes and join them for some more exercise before coming back to my room. The main problem with that is that it's tough to stay at the school any longer when you don't have to. I think I'll try to find someone who will hold me accountable (i.e. bust my chops) for going.

With all that said, life is good! I really wouldn't want to be anywhere else, but it would be nice if some of these classes where held outside in the fresh air - PowerPoint and stuffy rooms are a deadly combination.

Week 5 (Tuesday) - Great PT and no TV

For the first time since arriving at Chaplain School, I finally got smoked during a PT session, and it was great! We did a lot of pushups, situps, flutter kicks, military presses, and the list goes on. Hey, if I've got to be out there that early in the morning, then it's good to know that the time is being well spent. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday are run days, and the group that I'm is running at around a 7 minute/mile pace. Tuesday and Thursday focus on muscle strength. Now that's worth getting up at 4:00AM for!

During the day, we learned about privileged communication (summation: EVERYTHING that is confessed to the Chaplain is protected). This bond is much stronger in the military than it is with lawyer/client, doctor/patient, and civilian clergy/parishoner relationships in the civilian world. In addition, we learned about how the performance evaluation system works, and we dealt more with Army leadership and moral values (the Army excels that this type of stuff). Other that this, the day has actually been rather busy. I had some administrative tasks to take care between classes and during lunch. It's all good, though.

Today, I foolishly tried to go through the day only drinking coffee WITHOUT the corresponding Diet Mt. Dew (as always, insert Sacred Pause here). Well, that was a big mistake! I've certainly learned the error of my ways, and the caffeinated dynamic duo will once again be by my side and squeezing on my bladder first thing tomorrow.

I had the television removed from my room yesterday, since it was becoming somewhat of a time killer for the precious little free time that I had, and it was infringing on my stated goal of getting to sleep before 11:00PM. Besides, after you've seen one Discovery Channel marathon on the mating habits of penguins (it's not all that impressive anyway), you've pretty much seen them all (although that probably wouldn't stop me from watching it). Alright, I've got to go work on a sermon, but we didn't have any homework for tonight - YEAH!

Week 5 (Monday) - Start of a new phase

Today we officially began Phase I (the previous phase was actually called Chaplain Initial Military Training - CIMT). We all went in sporting our new, and obviously unbroken-in, berets. It is interesting how much work goes into shaping and molding the beret to corrrectly conform to your head (who woulda thunk it?). As I'm typing this, I'm sitting here with a soaking wet beret on my head.

Anywho...we spent the morning getting an orientation to PowerPoint, the library, and the Chaplain museum (did you know that five chaplains have received the Medal of Honor? I didn't either). This afternoon, we discussed how to develop and maintain spiritual fitness programs in our respective units. This was actually a good discussion, and the Chaplain instructor did a great job of giving us real-world examples of how this plays out (a lot of it has to do with learning how Army money works). I'll tell ya, the material that we're getting is great, and it is crucial that we learn this stuff now before we get in our units. With that said, sitting in a classroom all day is an amazing test of endurance (did you know that you can actually sleep and snore with your eye wide open? I didn't either).

Tonight, I am working on a paper for tomorrow, there is a 50 page paper that still needs to be read, and I need to work on a sermon for this weekend's drill with my unit - the great 357th!
I hope that everyone is doing well, and thank you again for all of your thoughts, prayers, and emails.

Now back to the books,
Lyde

Week 4 wrap-up – Phase I complete!

Well, we have finished phase I of training, which basically means that we can now drink alcohol (excuse me a second while I put down this beer so that I can type faster) and start getting some leave. We spent this week focusing on leadership, Army operations, and stuff like that. We did have about twelve people leave after this phase that was originally scheduled. We picked up one person, so we now have 56 people remaining in the class.

One great point to this classroom training is that we now have regular PT every morning. They did break us up into separate running groups based on speed, so that’s been a welcome change. We have seven people in the fastest group, and we have been doing our runs at about a seven minute per mile pace – very nice!

Now that we have completed this initial phase, we are now authorized to wear the berets rather than the field caps (the baseball cap looking hats). To be honest, I rather prefer the field caps because they have bills to provide eye protection from the sun. Oh, well.

By the way, one of my classmates came up to me this afternoon with a picture of me coming out of the gas chamber. It’s not too bad actually – no snot bubbles or anything. I’ll get it scanned and post it here as soon as I get an electronic copy made.

This coming week should be more routine from a scheduling standpoint, so I will be able to keep this post updated more regularly this week. A special note to Emily and Harley Hayden – thank you SO MUCH for the care package!!! When they called out my name for mail call, I was skipping down the aisle like a kid in a candy store! Y’ALL ROCK!

In Christ,

Lyde

Week 4 (Monday) - Dentist and Pluralism (the pulling & gnashing of teeth)

Yesterday ended up being rather low key. In the morning, I was sent to the dental clinic to get x-rays, a checkup, and everything else needed to complete my dental records. I'm happy to report that the choppers are good. The rest of the day was spent in class learning about Army operations and Pluralism. The concept of balancing one's one beliefs while supporting other people's faith can get rather sticky, and it certainly makes for interesting discussion. Probably the two hottest issues so far at Chaplain School have been pluralism and the prohibition against chaplains carrying firearms (evidently, the U.S. is the only military that prohibits its chaplains from carrying firearms).

The firearm issue isn't that big a deal for me, though. Even though I hunt and am very comfortable with firearms, that's just not our job as chaplains. Two reasons:
1. If we're carrying weapons, then who's going to tend to the soldiers in the midst of that crisis?
2. If chaplains are so concerned about saving their own lives, then, in my humble opinion, they need to dramatically reassess their own relationship with the Lord and life after death. As for me, I've died to Christ years ago, so this issue is settled.

We will continue the pluralism discussion today, and I'm sure that there will be some more heated debate. To be honest, I really don't have it all figured out myself. One thing that I continue to learn more over the years is that God is much bigger than any box that I've tried to put Him into. However, this will continue to be an issue that requires much prayer, discussion, and a healthy dose of fear and trembling.

Well, I've got to head out for PT. I have to tell you folks that even though being outside has been tough these last few weeks, it's nothing to the difficulties we're starting to face now of having to sit in a classroom all day while staying awake, alert, and attentive to the material. Yesterday, even the coveted "Diet Mt. Dew and Coffee" were only helping to an extent - I was hurtin'!

Take care, everybody, and God bless!
Lyde

Week 3 Wrap-up

Sorry for the delay in getting back here; last week was rather busy. We had a wonderful time out in the field for the 3-day exercise. The weather was great although a little cool in the evenings (it got down to 29 degrees Wednesday night). During our time out there, we learned about land navigation and other basic soldier skills like radio communications, etc. Probably one of the most powerful times was when we got a chance to spend several hours talking with some of the cadre who have served as Chaplain for many years. Being able to listen and learn from their years of real-world experience served as an excellent compliment to, rather than a contradiction of, much of the classroom learning that we have been receiving. All in all, a great time in the field; kind of like camping but with a heavier pack.

Friday morning was spent on the Confidence (aka obstacle) Course. This was probably the most fun I had since being here at school. Our "work" was crawling over log obstacles, scaling walls, negotiating rope events, and then sliding down cable lines. It felt more like recess than it did training, but what a great time!

Since this will be the last time that we will spend a significant amount of time in the field until around the end of March, I was already starting to mourn the more physical activities like what I just described when, out of the blue, my best friend Mike, asked me to be a part of a 3-man team for a 12-hour adventure race (a combination of running, hiking, mountain biking, canoeing, and land navigation in the mountains near Asheville, NC) coming up in May. OUTSTANDING! I got so pumped up about this news that I went out and ran 12 miles yesterday, and the light rain made for perfect running weather. I've always found that my exercise program is much more effective when I'm actually training for a specific event rather than just training for fitness' sake. It's always good to have specific goals to work toward.

This Friday will be the completion of this initial phase of training where we will then be authorized to wear the black beret. However, we have already become so close as a class that I can't even begin to imagine having to leave here in April. It's going to be a time of celebration, but I can already tell that it's going to be painful having to leave my classmates. Ugh, I just need to push that thought out of my head for now - I'll deal with that later. Besides, we've got a great week ahead of us - these are blessed times indeed!

As always, thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers (they make all the difference) as my prayers are also with you.

In Christ,
Lyde

Week 3 (Monday) - Rope Work & Prep for 3-day Field Work

Do to the rain, we were unable to actually rappel down the 60 foot wall today, but we were able to navigate the ropes course which was real fun. We started by climbing a three-rope bridge up to the sixty-foot tower, then we scaled down on a single rope using only our body for balance, and then back up a two-rope bridge. From there, we descended down a cargo net. Not as exciting as rappelling, but it was pretty fun, especially in the rain.

The rest of the day was spent learning how to communicate via military radios. A somewhat boring yet crucially important skill to have. This evening has been spent packing and repacking our gear since we will be in the field for the next three days. Tomorrow, we will be conducting land navigation exercises both in the day and at night using only a map and compass. Wednesday will be spent on the infiltration course (crawling in the mud, under barbed wire, machine gun bullets flying overhead, fun stuff like that) followed by IED (Improvised Explosive Devices - that's what has been killing so many troops in Iraq) detection and removal. Thursday will be more field training along with running the infiltration course during the nighttime (Sweet/Sweat!).

Since we probably won't be getting back until very late Thursday night/very early Friday morning, I won't be able to post again until probably Friday evening (we're running the obstacle/confidence course on Friday). I hope that everyone is doing well, and take care.

In Christ,
Lyde

Week 2 (Friday) - Pee-T & Map Reading

Well, we got up this morning preparing for another day of PT when we were all escorted to the school for an unannounced urinalysis/drug test that is administered to everyone in the Army. Of course, one of the very first things you do before working out is to use the bathroom, so this task became quite a chore for some folks. Fortunately, I was carrying my normal morning coffee and Diet Mt. Dew (the official softdrink of "The Heavenly Realm"), so when my turn came, the Spirit (among other things) was definitely moving. Mission Accomplished!

Today was another fun day. We spent the morning learning how to read maps and use a compass, which isn't that difficult. The hardest part was staying awake...I'll tell ya, by the end of the week, you're aching for sleep. The afternoon was spent out in the field putting these skills to use by navigating through the woods given coordinates and distances. The weather was beautiful, and it was an all-around fun time. We've got a three-day field exercise next week, and it looks as though we may be getting some rain. Oh, well, take what God gives you and make the best of it (hey, at least it's not snowing).

I know that I've said this before, but I just want everyone to know how tremendously impressed I am with the Army and the Chaplain School cadre. Their level of professionalism and passion for what they do is both amazing and humbling. It's servant leadership at its best. If anyone is even considering the possibility of going into Military Chaplaincy, I would highly encourage them to both be in prayer with the Lord and also to meet with any of the Chaplains here to discuss the possibilities available. The field is definitely ripe, and the workers are extremely few. Again, Military Chaplaincy is NOT about trying to convey regilious legitimacy to any military and/or political action. It is simply and purely about bringing the love of God to the individual men and women who serve the military. OK, off the soapbox...

With all this said, I stink to high heaven and desperately need a shower! Thank you again for all of your prayers and emails. I will try to respond to all the emails as time becomes available, but please don't think that my lack of response denotes a lack of sincere and heartfelt appreciation. They mean the world to me!

In Christ,
Lyde

Week 2 (Thursday) - Team Development Course

This morning was the definitely the most fun I've had here at Chaplain School.
We participated in the Team Development Course where teams of 8-10 people are given different challenges, and they must work together to devise a strategy and then make it happen within 20 minutes. For example, we would have to traverse a "cliff" between two platforms while getting an injured soldier (a mannequin on a gurney) across a cable extension along with all the members of the team. We had a great crew who really worked well together, so we had an absolute blast (the photo is of the group I was with)!

The road marches are gradually getting longer, but I actually enjoy them. It's just a walking tour of the base! The rest of the day we were in class followed by an address from the Commandant. Then a little PT for good measure. Tonight, I had to meet with the platoon XO along with one of my squad members because he has been consistently late to formations (not a good thing in the Army). We got everything straight with some kind words and pushups (I did the pushups with him). Tomorrow we have formation at 5:00AM (that means waking up at 4:00AM) for some PT, so I'm going to try and get to bed by 10:30 or 11:00. By the end of the week, everyone is wrestling hard with the Rack Monster, and I'm definitely no exception.

In Christ,
Lyde

Week 2 (Wednesday) - First Aid Training

Today was a rather low-key. We marched about a mile and then spent the morning going over basic first aid. Nothing new - casualty evaluation, CPR, treatment for bleeding, tourniquets, etc. It was pretty basic material, but these skills are crucial for Chaplains given our noncombatant status. We then spent the afternoon learning about Army organization, structure, and symbols. We finished the day with Convocation. It was quite cool today, though, and the wind was biting something fierce. It's supposed to get below freezing tonight, so tomorrow's going to be a "great day" (in Army terms, a "great day" means that you will definitely remember it & not always in a happy way).

I did find out today that I had the highest PT score in the class, and I actually ended up scoring 278 and not 276 as I had initially thought. I pretty sure that I could max it out at 300 right now so I feel good about that (Atlanta Bootcampers - I'm trying to make you proud! Keep up the great work over there!).

By the way, I tried to get one of the officers to take a picture of me coming out of the gas chamber yesterday, but he inadvertantly took it of someone else who looks similar to me. However, I attached a picture taken of me just before we left for the gas chamber. The only difference from the picture is that we wear the Kevlar helmets when we march, so the weight of the full "Battle Rattle" is around 40 lbs; not too bad actually.

I'm still having a blast, although I could go for a little more sleep. Also, the word has gotten out that I know a little bit about computers so I've now become the class Tech Specialist...lucky me. Well, it's just another way to help out. Take care, everyone!

In Christ,
Lyde