God and Guns.

This Coss was easy to find, I only had to go to the right place, South Park Community Chapel.

I was able to attend my first Church service since before leaving home in June. It was a mix of Service men and Civilians, about 60 people total, in a tent. The service men and woman here are required to carry their weopons at all times and therefore as they filled in to the seats they place there weapons under the benches. Gun barrels pointing everywhere! I think maybe it helps with the Sermons!

We started with worship songs and of course as emotional as I was I could only get through half the song without crying, generally at the chorus. Yes Anna, Daddy sang like I sing at our Church, voice cracking and out of tune. None the less I was worshiping with fellow Christians as I had not in a while.

The Chaplain then passed the microphone for praise and prayer requests. I heard things that sounded so familiar to me. Others had the same feelings and pains as I did. Others had the same praises that God has been working in their lives. He then lead in prayer.

The Sermon was good, Nehemiah 7. The rebuilding of the wall was now complete and the Census was taken. Nehemiah now first appointed singers and Levites. He saw the need for the people to worship God, to learn of Him. The Chaplain spoke of our need to do this, that we can not just build a wall and think that that is sufficient. We must continiously worship our God.

We must also be good wittnesses to those around us. He defined wittness as I had not heard it before; To see, to know and to speak. To see the truth of God revealed in us. To know that it is real. To speak of it to others. He stated that all of those are part of our "wittness", not just one individually. I thought, how often we stop from doing all three. We see but do not believe, or believe but do not speak.

He spoke to us about our Mission, to the civilians and the Servicemen and woman that we are called to a higher mission as Christians while we are here. That we have our jobs but we also have the purpose that God has given us, to be good wittnesses to others, even in this place. The Christian Mission is the same in all places of our life, it does not change.

I had Communion also today. I had alot to be thankful for and alot to cleanse my heart of. I took a while to go through each doorway in my heart, to make sure I found what might be right. I know He forgives me but better to be sure I did not gloss over anything. Even here the mind can lead to sin and seperation. I don't know if I have cleaned up like this since I was first saved.

One comment also sat with me for a while. The Lord has paid for my Salvation already and therefore there is no more that I can do to earn it. I have probably heard similar before. It struck me about how I treat my salvation, as if I had something more to gain by doing everything correct. Did I read my Bible or pray? Did I go to Church? All that I have to do is have faith in Him and His death, burrial and resurection and that He Has (already done) saved me. Our works are the fruits of but not the route to, the the measuring rod for, my salvation.

I left the tent with my mind spinning. I am not special here, the soldiers and civilians that are Christians are all in the same boat. We all are having the same struggles and the same praises. We all have somebody or family that we left behind. We all probably have a Church that we thought about this morning that we miss. We are all the same in that Christ has paid our ransom and if we have faith we are saved.

So my mind spun, thoughts of home. Thoughts of Glorifing Him. Thoughts of completeing my mission or not. Many thoughts, many emotions all stirred up by this service.

Lord,

Thank you for your payment for me. Thank you for my salvation. Thank you for the Servicemen and woman who afford me my freedom to worship you in all that I do. Thank you for this opportunity to glorify you. Thank you.

Amen