Crosswinds in the Military

Our country has been involved in the war in Iraq since 2003. This war and our military are constantly on the minds and hearts of the American people. It has also been a topic of debate during this presidential election, revealing just how strongly Americans disagree about the war.

Even if we may disagree about the war, we all agree that our service men and women have done a magnificent job and we are indebted to them for their service. And though we are aware of the duty they are performing and are glad to hear of their many successes and are pained by the too many losses of loved ones; I think we, too often forget the intangible personal costs and struggles they are experiencing, such as those involving spiritual issues.

Being in the military, especially in an active conflict, probably heightens one's awareness of such issues. Also, we shouldn’t forget our soldiers come from a country that developed out of a Christian culture and now serve in a theater were the religion of Islam is predominate. Surely, this must bring its own spiritual struggles.

That is one reason we have our own military expert serving with us at Crosswinds. Don Malin who serves with our staff, is a military chaplain. In January he will be deployed to Afghanistan for his second tour of duty in the Middle East. While there Don will help us to have a better understanding of some of the spiritual issues our service folks face while serving in the Middle East. He’ll also be able to address some of the spiritualities he encounters there.

While in Afghanistan, Don will also provide reports to us through our blog, Crosswinds in the Military (http://christianmilitarychaplain.blogspot.com/), and through our website. Hopefully, he will also be able to occasionally post video for us. I encourage you to check out Don’s blog and if you have friends in the service, send them a link, as well.

Comments

Say It Ain't So Reba!

Grammy award winning, country singer, Reba McEntire has had numerous hit records. She’s been in movies, had her own television show, and has several product lines she endorses. Without question, she presents that down-home country likability. In fact, you might say she’s everyone’s “country darling”. However, even she must realize that what she confessed to believe, during a recent interview in the Pittsburg Post-Gazette (Oct 16), will be so startling to many that it will dramatically change how they regard her. The interview starts out innocently enough, with her talking about her sitcom, movies, and even her foray into horse racing. She even gives a nod to God acknowledging her talent is, “a gift from God”. And that if she didn’t use it, she, “wouldn’t blame Him one bit if he took it away and gave it to someone else”. Nothing all that controversial so far. However, her answer when asked to reveal a secret for her fans will surprise many of them. The “secret” seems inno

A Muslim President - Really?

I found it interesting that, in conjunction with the Alabama and Mississippi primaries, Public Policy Polling thought it would be a good idea to poll the people of my fair state and those in Mississippi to see where those voting in the Republican primary stood on the President’s religion. They found 45% of those polled in Alabama believe him to be a Muslim and 14% consider him a Christian. His numbers were even worse in Mississippi where 52% of those polled believed him to be a Muslim and only 12% a Christian. Some question the accuracy of these polls which considered responses from only 600 voters. However, maybe the numbers are accurate. Consider the results of similar polling done by Pew Research among conservative Republicans on a national level. In 2009 they found that 18% of conservative Republicans believed the President to be a Muslim. When taking the poll in 2010 the number was on the rise having increased to 34% of conservative Republicans believing him a Muslim. Maybe th

The Shrinking Church

In recent years many Christian denominations have acknowledged slower growth rates while claiming an increase in the number of adherents. Certainly, it is good that the Church is experiencing growth and not stagnating, or is it? Do the numbers really tell the whole story? The recently released American Religious Identification Survey 2008, issued out of Trinity College in Hartford, CT, tells a different story. The Survey does confirm that, from 1990 to 2008, those affiliated with the Christian Church increased some 13.5%, from 151.2 million to 173.4 million. However, during that same time the US population increased about 30% from 175.4 million to 228.2 million. What this survey found is that those who identified themselves with the Christian Church now represent 76% of the population; whereas, in 1990 this group represented 86.2% of the population. So, compared to the population as a whole, the Christian Church is shrinking in size, and possibly influence. When broken down into subcat

Crosswinds Foundation

Search This Blog