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.
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.
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