An Interview With An Officer

The Biblical Perspective of a Military Veteran

Why don’t we get another person’s perspective? My last post was about ministry and serving in the Military, but today, I continue that discussion with an interview I conducted with my Father, a retired 25-year veteran officer in the US Air Force. 

He discusses his thoughts and beliefs about several different topics having to do with the ministry in the military, and serving the Lord where He has been placed. 

So now, let me introduce to you, Colonel Crane. 

How important, in your opinion, is representing Christ in the Military Environment?

I think that representing Christ in any environment that I find myself, Military included, is my preeminent calling. Because Christ is the One that redeemed me back from sin, and I ought to serve Him.

Have you had any struggle representing Christ in your military experience?

I don’t know of any environment on earth where there is no challenge in representing Christ - the military is no exception. But frankly I sensed it was easier to be an ambassador for Christ [in the military], because the military calling (especially forward operations) gives you a special appreciation for our  need for our Creator, and an eye opener to our national indebtedness to His providence. 

Would you say your military experience has changed the way that you serve?

Definitely. The Military has been my life for the majority of my years on earth. It shaped the way I serve and my perspective, because it opened my eyes to dynamics of life I hadn’t known. One of those dynamics is the appreciation for what is important in life. Moving from place to place, culture to culture, and challenge to challenge revealed how relatively pointless some of the things were that I was caught up in as a comfortable American. I was given a better appreciation of what people went through in the world, and the value I need to put in people, not stuff.  

It reminds me of what Peter wrote in the New Testament about Christians being citizens of Heaven first and foremost. And sometimes we forget that and we start acting like our chief identity is our citizenship in this world. Sometimes wherever the world drifts, wherever our culture points, seems the way we must go…to adapt and conform to that.  But Paul tells us in Romans to “be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds.”

You start realizing that things and comforts aren’t as important as they first seem in light of the plight and sacrifices of many peoples around the world.  You start to see what this world is coming to and vividly see our need to trust in a Savior.  People are why God has us on this earth, and I need to take my mind off myself and see them with His eyes. 

Was it hard to find good Christian churches in your travels around the world?

I never found it difficult to find Christians, but If you are talking about a traditionally organized church like what you would find in America, then yes, sometimes it was difficult to find them, especially in countries that are hostile toward Christianity. 

Can you explain something about ministry in the military that a civilian might not understand or know?

One of the dynamics is that people are always coming and going. Unless you find a military community that has a lot of long-term residents that are retired,  people are always moving every few years, and so it’s hard to get the stability of their relationships. 

On the other hand, because it’s so dynamic, many people have learned that you need to engage and get involved very quickly. And so that was a refreshing part of working in the military, because people were more readily jumping in as soon as they got there, knowing that they have a limited amount of time to serve. They wouldn’t languish for years and years, not getting involved.

In conclusion:

I hope you learned something today! My father is a good example of how you can learn to serve the Lord wherever He puts you. And I hope that you might be able to take this example and put it into practice in your own life. Because, like my Father said, our ultimate citizenship is in heaven first and foremost.

It’s just another day in the life of a military kid.

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Ministry In The Military

There's no atheists in the foxhole. 

You may have heard the famous phrase, “There’s no Atheists in the Foxhole,” which basically says that those facing war tend to seek for God’s supernatural hand of protection. This isn't universally the case, but the point that I am trying to make is that we in the military typically have a more serious mindset towards life. We understand the reality of losing our soldiers, airmen, and sailors to war, and it sobers us. It makes us appreciate life more, and causes us to seek the Lord in our lives. 

It is this environment that my family has learned to minister to. 

My family believes that the Lord has called all Christians to serve him in every aspect of our lives, from what we eat, to who we spend time with. The Bible says that whether we eat or drink, or whatever we do, we are supposed to do all to the glory of God. 

So we believe that since God placed us into the military environment, it is our duty to serve Him by ministering to those there however we are able. 

While we did our best to serve in every aspect of our lives, we were able to serve specifically to three different groups. 

1. Ministry to other families

• Military families stick together. We all share common lives, yet different lifestyles. So to help each other along the tough road, we tend to support each other as much as we can - it’s in our nature. My family has been able to minister to an incredible amount of people over the years in many different ways. We’ve helped people with their yards, we’ve babysat kids, we’ve moved them in and out of new houses, etc. If we had a chance to help them, we would jump at it.  

2. Ministry to active duty members

• There would not be a military environment if it weren’t for the men and women that serve our country in the military. They sacrifice so much to protect us and our nation, and they deserve our respect. My family has been able to minister towards these individuals by supporting their families, giving them simple blessings (like coffee in cold weather), and having them over for meals (especially the new folks who are still getting used to the military). You’d be surprised at how far a simple gesture of kindness can go.

3. Ministry toward folks of other nationalities

• Being in the military, we’ve traveled all over the world and met folks from many different countries. And each of these nationalities seem to have their own idea of what “Americans” act like - some think highly of us, but others not so much. But my family has been able to minister toward these folks and give them an example of what Christians act like, instead of only what Americans act like. We’ve made many friends, and I believe we will have these friendships for many years to come - as long as we keep in mind that we are here to minister to them, not the other way around. 

So in conclusion

My family found ways to minister to others in our lives and to bring glory to God, whether it be to other families, active duty members, or people from other countries. We did our best to represent Christ to them, as we have been commanded to in the Bible. 

So as we continue to minister to those in our mission field, I challenge you to minister to those in yours. The Lord has provided the field, it’s time to go harvest. 

It’s just another day in the life of a military kid. 

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Holidays in a Military Home

With Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up, I thought I would explain a little about what it is like to experience a holiday in a military family. 

One thing that I have to clarify is that not all military families are the same. Yes, we all share some common attributes and habits, but every family has their own way of life that they practice. This is one of the aspects that make up the military lifestyle. We are a widely diverse, and very different from one another, yet we still stand united under the same cause for freedom. 

So with that understood…

Let me explain four attributes to holidays in a military family.

1. Differing Locations

Being in the military, the most we’ve ever spent at one assignment was about three years. (And that was quite a long time) So naturally, we spent almost every other Christmas in a different home, all over the world.

Now some would hear this a cringe, but there are others who would love it. There are ups and downs. 

The ups are that we’ve been able to spend our special days of the year in very amazing places. 

I can remember one Christmas in particular - we walked through an old town square of a small village in Germany. The snow lightly fell as we explored the many different christmas stands that were set up around the square, and sipped from steaming mugs of cider and hot chocolate. Christmas music filled the air, and they had fires set up randomly throughout the square. It was practically storybook beautiful. 

But one down is that we don’t get the opportunity to spend too many holidays with extended family. Every once and a while we get the chance to visit, but most often we don’t get that experience. 

2. Traditions

In order to combat the changing environments, my family has created many traditions that we practice, especially during the Thanksgiving and Christmas time of year. 

These include small things like always inviting friends over for thanksgiving dinner, or opening a present on Christmas eve.

These small things are what we know to look forward to, and they make our holidays so much more fun.

3. Meeting People (again, and again, and again)

The military is a small place. It’s not uncommon to be stationed with one family on one base, and then turn around three years later and be stationed with them again on a different base. There’s a constant circular door in the military and its great. 

So it’s not uncommon to spend the holiday with someone at one base, and then spend that same holiday with that same person at a completely different base. It’s a revolving door of friends. 

4. Care Packages

So many times in military life active duty members are sent overseas to fight for our country. And on many occasions, these deployments happen over the holidays. So to make due, families will send care packages filled with presents, letters, treats, and love from home to these soldiers, airmen, and sailors. It's one way that we cope. 

In closing:

Think about what YOU do for your holidays. Are there things that you do with your family and friends that are different than most other people? What are the things that you love to do, or would want to do?

And then why not make some new memories this year? Go out and do something different, and maybe you’ll find a new tradition for your holidays. 

It’s just another day in the life of a military kid. 

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Vacations As a Military Kid

Do military folk even get vacations?

Very simply put, yes we do.
Active duty personnel work hard and long - just like civilians - and also get vacation time - just like civilians. We are given a set amount of days off, and we try to make every moment of those days count.

So then what do we do?

Often times, military families take their vacations wherever they are stationed. Growing up in a different country or state every two years gives you many different options to choose from. So it is not uncommon to visit amazing places like the Eiffel Tower, or the Great Wall of China. 

But there's nothing like our family camp.

I know this might sound cliché, but despite how awesome and amazing all these new sights can be, there's no place like home. 

Somehow, in spite of all our traveling, my family was able to visit one camp all through my high school. This military-focused retreat center, White Sulphur Springs, gave us a concrete place that we would be able to go to for rest, relaxation, and fun for the family. 

I can't explain all the incredible memories I have of this place, and hopefully I'll be able to continue to visit for the rest of my life.

In conclusion:

 I am including a quick video of this camp to give you an idea of what I am talking about. It is incredible the things that this center does for military folk, and I hope they never stop.

(p.s. It looks awesome in HD)

It's just another day in the life of a military kid.

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