Saint Martin's Cloak

For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139:13-14) Physical training has always been a part military training to "be all you can be." Now the Pentagon wants to inject soldiers with drugs to make them more than they can be by nature alone. The Pentagon is playing god. The Pentagon has proposed testing the testosterone levels of all service members over the age of 30 and offering testosterone "therapy" to those who fall below a certain level. The test is not addressing a real medical issue. Absent symptoms that would cause a doctor to suspect a significant hormonal problem, drawing blood to test testosterone levels is invasive and medically unnecessary. According to the Harvard Medical School, taking testosterone carries medical risks for cardiac issues, prostrate cancer, fertility impairment, and blood clots. So, the Pentagon's proposed universal testing o...

“I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. (Matthew 10:16) After the 2003 invasion of Iraq toppled the strong-arm government of Saddam Hussein, the country fell into a chaotic and violent insurgency. Multiple factions fought against each other, the coalition forces, and the emerging government. The U.S. military transitioned to stability and counter-insurgency operations shortly after the Ba’athist regime fell. Service members patrolled the streets, worked to restore essential services, and tried to create an effective government. In this context, Marine General James Mattis is reported to have told his Marines, “Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet.” That might be understandable in the midst of a violent insurgency when it’s hard to tell friend from foe, but it is a horrible way to live your life. The phrase my colleagues used during this time was, “Keep...

Psychologists are beginning to think about the spiritual wounds of war that don’t result from the trauma and fear that leads to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), but from witnessing or committing acts that transgress deeply held moral beliefs. The common term for this malady is “moral injury”, a wound to the conscience that results in feelings of shame and alienation. Like PTSD, it can produce maladaptive and self-destructive behaviors. I found the most healing on my own return from war in the worship life of my church. I offer this invitation as a “think piece”, a another step in shaping my own understanding with regard to how worship can restore wholeness to Christian veterans with wounded spirits. **** Brothers and sisters in Christ, comrades in arms, you have passed through the fiery trial of combat. The Lord Jesus now invites you to come to the table of peace. On the night he instituted this sacred meal, the elders of the people sent an armed militia to snatc...

If you want to be resilient, be thankful. And if you want to be thankful, be hopeful. That might be the message of the American Thanksgiving Day. You can see the connection between resilience and thanksgiving in our national history. From the story of the pilgrims at Plymouth to Abraham Lincoln’s Thanksgiving proclamation, Americans seem to give thanks best when things are at their worst. The connection between thanksgiving and perseverance are visible in the Biblical story as well. From the days of the first Passover Seder to the last supper of Jesus, from the possessing of Canaan to the tribulations of the messiah, God’s people have known that faith calls us to give thanks in times of adversity as well as in times of ease. <!-- wp:more --> <!--more--> <!-- /wp:more --> If you want to be resilient, then, give thanks. But how can you tell people to be thankful? Isn’t thankfulness an emotion? Isn’t it the case that one either feels thankful or doesn’t? ...

There is a strong relationship between moral character and human resiliency. In the mental health arena, clinicians are starting to recognize the negative side of that relationship in veterans of military conflict. When soldiers violate their own sense of right and wrong, they can experience symptoms that have previously been attributed to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). While the study of "moral injury" deserves a more thorough discussion, it is sufficient at this point, I think, to state the obvious: guilt and shame are as destructive as fear, misery and trauma. There is also a positive side to this relationship between moral character and resiliency. Commitment to a strong, comprehensive set of values can help people endure suffering and bounce back. <!-- wp:more --> <!--more--> <!-- /wp:more --> The life of the Christian apostle Paul illustrates this relationship. At various times, Paul was imprisoned, whipped, beaten, stoned, shipwreck...

Every suicide is a tragedy, and the nation is right to be concerned for the welfare of its veterans. As a society, we should absolutely do all that we can to treat both the visible and invisible wounds of war. I was curious, however, when I read the claim that 22 veterans per day take their own lives. That’s over 8000 veteran suicides per year. In 2012, an alarming 349 service member took their own lives. How is it possible that over 8000 veterans also did so? Could that number possibly be correct? The number is an estimate reported in the Veterans Administration’s 2012 study on suicide. You can read the study here: Suicide Data Report 2012 . I am not a statistician, but it appears to me that the VA’s number is a reasonable estimate based on the available evidence and the report’s analytical method. So, yes, as far as I can tell the number is accurate, but it needs context. In 2010, the Veterans Administration says that there were over 23 million living veterans - 23,031,892, ...

This afternoon, I had the privilege of listening to one of our country's wounded warriors speak about the importance of employing people with disabilities. He was filled with energy and enthusiasm, and he approached his topic with a sense of humor. And even though the speech was about the benefits of hiring disabled veterans, I found myself listening for clues to his remarkable joy. Staff Sergeant Shilo Harris was wounded in 2007 in an IED attack that killed most of his team. He suffered deep burns over 35% of his body. He lost both of his ears and most of his hearing. He suffered facial disfigurement and lost several fingers. His spine and collar bone were broken. He was ultimately evacuated to a large military medical facility in the United States. There, he spent 48 days in a coma, and then three years in treatment and recovery. He was medically retired in 2010. Somewhere along the line, there must have been some very dark days. Extraordinary and courageous medical care p...

In the 1965 movie Shenandoah , Jimmy Stewart's character Charlie Anderson is a widower. His wife had been devoutly religious, but Charlie didn't care much for religion. He promised his wife, however, that he would raise the children in the faith. Thus, when Charlie's family gather around the table, Charlie leads them in prayer: Lord, we cleared this land. We plowed it, sowed it, and harvest it. We cook the harvest. It wouldn't be here and we wouldn't be eating it if we hadn't done it all ourselves. We worked dog-bone hard for every crumb and morsel, but we thank you Lord just the same for the food we're about to eat, amen. I don't know too many farmers who actually have that kind of attitude. They know that it's hard work, but they know that they don't control everything that happens. Weather. The economy. Acts of nature and events in history. They all have a great impact on the farmer. Not everything is within his hand to control. Likewise, tro...

Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return. Soldiers who have seen combat have no problem remembering their mortality. They've seen it with their eyes, touched it with their hands and inhaled it into their nostrils. For those in a combat zone, every day is Ash Wednesday ; the dirt on their faces is real and not a ceremonial embellishment. Those driving daily through the streets of Atlanta or the highways of Kansas can maintain their illusions of immortality; those driving the streets of Baghdad or the highways or Al Anbar province cannot. Soldiers don't need reminding that they live in the valley of the shadow of death. What they need is the confidence to walk through the valley to the other side, not paralyzed by fear but armed with courage to accomplish life's tasks. The author of Hebrews shows us the way: Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from beginning to end. He did not give up because of the cross! On the contrary,...