“No one particularly enjoys being sick, injured, weak, etc. But, if I can see it through the eyes of God, that He is growing my character into the image of His Son, Jesus, that He is using circumstances to bring glory to His name and to further His kingdom — then I can give thanks and rejoice.”
Quoted from a letter from David Coffield, postmarked Dec 10th, 22.
Dec 14, 2022
An Army chaplain awaits word on his forced separation from the military, pending the Senate’s decision on the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, which could bring the military vaccine mandate to an end.
For Army Chaplain Brad Lewis, the last 15 months have seemed like a decade. Within days of Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate in August 2021, Colonel Lewis – who became a chaplain due to religious conviction – requested a religious accommodation to the mandate. His request was denied in February 2022, and within two days he submitted an appeal to the Assistant Secretary of the Army. Eight weeks ago, that, too, was denied.
When he received the denial of his appeal, he was given two options: either voluntarily submit for retirement, or voluntarily get vaccinated. He tells American Family News that he didn’t feel he could, in good conscience, step away from “a fight just to save my own skin.” To him, both options were unacceptable, explaining he felt it was “immoral” being forced to choose between his faith and his career.
“I would love to have a retirement after the better part of three decades, but if it means the next generation of chaplains and soldiers are able to get a retirement at the expense of mine, then I’m willing to do that,” Lewis asserts. “[So] rather than assist in the death of a retirement it took nearly 27 years to earn, I left the ball in the Department of Defense’s court to separate me.”
Once his appeal was denied, Lewis says, he was immediately labeled a “vaccine refuser.” According to Army Directive 2022-02, issued by the Secretary of the Army, Christine Wormuth in January 2022, an officer who refuses to be vaccinated will be involuntarily separated for “misconduct, moral or professional dereliction.” And those who are involuntarily separated for this reason are “normally” separated under other-than-honorable conditions according to Army Regulation 600-8-24.
According to Lewis, that characterization of service “carries with it some pretty significant curtailments of veterans benefits.”
“Without saying it, they were threatening my retirement,” he contends. “It’s not just my retirement they were threatening, but the retirement of every other soldier in the Army.”
And that, coupled with his religious convictions, compelled him to take the stance he did.
As part of the separation process, on Monday Chaplain Lewis was to be given a General Officer Memorandum of Reprimand (commonly known as a GOMOR) as a result of his objection to the COVID-19 vaccine and the denial of his accommodation request.
But in the eleventh hour, he was told by his command that the GOMOR would be put on hold until the Senate decides how it will respond to the U.S. House’s passage of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which is expected to repeal the military vaccine mandate.
“If someone doesn’t stand up and say You can’t do this, then it’s just going to continue,” Lewis contends. “The scope of religious accommodation denials indicates a pretty severe anti-religious bias in the DOD,” he says. “And as a chaplain, I had to stand up and say we were not going to play that game.”
The chaplain argues that the job of the DOD is not to determine whether an individual’s beliefs are valid, but whether they are sincere; and if sincere, the government should accommodate those beliefs, according to the U.S. Constitution, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), NDAA, Army doctrine, and more.
Regardless of the outcome, one thing remains true through it all, according to Lewis: “God is bigger than the Army and is always good.”
Accessed/copies Dec 16, 22 from: https://afn.net/medical-health/2022/12/14/chaplain-s-forced-exit-on-deck-while-ndaa-getting-hashed-out/
“The process of refining an element for the end result of purity.”
Dear Mike,
I never know, when I go to the Bible, what God is going to say or from where. I was struck by Proverbs 17:3, ‘The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests hearts.’
I have taken a lot of ‘tests’ in my academic career. The test was designed to measure how much information I retained, whether I could do the problems, whether I was competent to continue in the course. A lot was at stake and it was a nervous time.
The Lord uses the word ‘test’ in a different way. It is the process of refining an element for the end result of purity.
Occasionally, I watch the TV show ‘Forged in Fire.’ They take 4 smiths, and they compete for 1st place and $10,000. The are given metal to work with. They clean the metal, tack weld it together, weld a handle, and the they stick it into a blazing forge. They heat it red hot and then begin the process of funding it into a shape they desire. How do you think the metal feels? But, without the process it will never arrive at its glorious end.
In my thinking there are 2 primary paths for growth in the Christian life. One is 2 Corinthians 3:18 – it is abiding in the Word and being transformed by the Holy Spirit, little by little, into the image of Jesus.
The second is the fiery trials and tribulations and pains of life. Live long enough and you will ge your fair share and perhaps more. Paul and James had it figured out. Paul said we should exult in our tribulations and James said we should count it all joy. We tend to think, from our cultural perspective, what a couple of sickos.
God has it figured out and He alone can be rusted. When the wall is breached, the reserve fails, when health declines and enemies arise, when injustice and unfairness raises it ugly head – our loving Father is still ruling over it all and His end desire is Troopers Hope refine us into the image of His Son, Jesus
It takes me awhile to get there. My emotions are going nuts. Then, faith and intellect grudgingly move to give God glory, thanks and I rest in Him.
Your Brother, David
A letter I received from David Coffield the week of May 25th.
From my friend, Valentyn Korenevych, in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Dear friends, remember that now I wish everyone not a good day, but God’s day. You admit that Russia’s aggression against Ukraine began on February 20, 2014, when the Russians captured Crimea and then eastern Ukraine. Eight years later, the Russians decided to capture and destroy the whole of Ukraine, so on February 24, 2022, at 4 am, they began bombing our Ukrainian airfields, military units and cities. Today is the forty-first day of the active phase of the war. We Ukrainians defend our faith, our way of life, our land. A strong servant of Satan, hidden in the Kremlin walls of ancient Mordor: an old evil that pretends to be light under the guise of pagan Orthodoxy and Z occultism, is leading Russia to its doom. The unburied corpse of an idol man (Lenin) for about 100 years lies in the center of the Russian capital, near the cemetery of the same murderers and thieves.
We Ukrainians, as residents of the state of Gondor in the Tolkien writer, live in Mordor (Muscovy), and since 1487, we have been fighting with the Muscovite orcs for the right to live freely and believe in God.
This is my little introduction to give you a better understanding of how I feel and what is happening around me in Ukraine. Because I noticed that many people from other countries do not understand the essence of these events and continue to believe in fairy tales about good Russia. By the way, the name Russia is also was stolen by orcs in Kievan Rus, as now Russian orcs steal and take out of our cities, even fleeing Ukraine, refrigerators, washing machines, TVs, toilets, tablets, computers and more. But it’s not scary, we will still work and buy it all. It is not terrible that they destroyed our cities, we will rebuild. The scary thing is that they are killing our people by throwing bombs and missiles at us. And even worse is what they do with locals and children in the occupation. The city of Bucha, near Kyiv, where someone called the second Srebrenica. The name is not for the number of deaths, but for the cruelty. People and children were shot, tortured and raped by orcs there. Corpses, corpses… people. But it is not yet known what is being done in other Russian-occupied cities.
I have been with my family in Kyiv for a week now. Arrived on March 29 with my family (five of us). It helped a lot to have a car that all you raised money for me. We left Kyiv in this car for Cherkasy and we came back, and now I am transporting some things for the military in this car. Because transport is almost non-existent in Ukraine now. Thank you all again. May our God bless you all with His blessings.
In Kyiv I try to be useful to other people.
I communicate with military chaplains over the phone and various messengers.
I support them in various ways.
I take medicine to military units.
Every night for 41 days I have a church prayer for our military.
I join the online seminary every Sunday night.
Every Monday I conduct online communication with the employees of Olive Branch Ukraine.
On Sunday, I worshiped with the Lord’s Supper in our military building. Now there is no electricity and it is very cold.
On Thursday, Vasily and I will teach our pastors to understand chaplaincy.
The Russians have already left Kyiv, Chernihiv, Zhytomyr and Sumy oblasts, so military teams are currently working there to clear roads and buildings. Today the first road to Chernihiv, my mother’s city, was opened. The city is 70% destroyed, and there is no water, gas, electricity or heating. My mother begs for food and an apartment every day, which she does not have, and still does not have a safe way there. My mother is 79 years old, I don’t know if she understands that or if she’s so stubborn. Maybe in ten days I will try to go to Chernihiv.
Today, at the door of our rented room called “Olive Branch” and the Church “Way of Truth”, I hung an announcement for needy people that those who need food, please contact. We plan to help those who do not have jobs and money for food, especially refugees.
Thank you, my friends, co-workers with God, I feel your prayers and other help. We all Ukrainians feel. The Russians bombed almost all our strategic enterprises, oil depots, food bases, airports, blocked seaports and river ports, but thanks to you our army fires bullets, shells, missiles, our tanks, cars and planes are at war, air defense is alive. Four million refugees are abroad, and they are safe.
I thank God and you for your countries contribution to all this. God works through you in times of war. I would like to thank you all in some way, but I do not know what and how?
Postscript. In Cherkasy on March 8, Marina and I went outside for a walk. We walked 500 meters to the city center when the alarm siren sounded. Marina immediately hunched over like a very old woman. It’s scary when you’re standing in the middle of the street of a still peaceful city, and the sirens around you are buzzing around, and you realize that you’re standing face to face in front of a cruise missile, and you’re defenseless (I didn’t mention God right away). I still didn’t have time to understand how Marina dragged me to the bomb shelter at a school. We waited at school for a while, but without waiting for the alarm to end, we went outside. We walked another 500 meters and I saw something strange, surreal. Near the market, right during the alarm, women were selling yellow and red tulips. It flashed in my head, today is Women’s Day, April 5th! And even more surprising was the fact that these tulips were lined up for men of all ages, who nervously shrugged, looked around, but stood in line, and they bought these flowers, mostly only one flower. To this day, I have before my eyes a picture: anxiety, the market, tense men, yellow and red tulips. I did not dare to stand in line, and did not buy a flower for Marina, because then such a purchase seemed strange and inappropriate. When I came home and calmed down, I was a little ashamed that I did not overcome myself and did not buy a flower for Marina. Suddenly, about an hour later, the son of the owner of the apartment where we lived, Lieutenant Colonel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine., came and brought three flowers for Marina. Such are our military in Ukraine!
That is why Women’s Day, thanks to the military in Ukraine, exists even during the war.
Thank God for Ukraine and America and our other friends in Europe.
Valentyn Korenevych,
Colonel (Retired)
President of the Public organization “Olive Branch” Ukraine
www.olivebranch.org.ua
Program director of “Pastors-Chaplains Leadership” of the Kiev Theological Seminary
www.ktsonline.org
“I’m living the Dream,” Ben Gravy
Ben Gravy loves to explore and find one-of-a-kind waves to ride. In this short clip, Ben is sharing his excitement about catching one Bonzi Pipeline wave recently. The waves that day were bigger than they usually are.
https://youtube.com/clip/Ugkxa6WUsdzdHia6IljNpRwMjnhucUwGDrJv
I love Ben’s honesty about being so afraid in the morning he told himself he wasn’t going to surf that day.
Ben’s experience is universal. Having a dream that is so big were to afraid to even paddle out into the line-up with all the other dreamers. But, each time we try we experience something new, that we could not experience if we didn’t “Go For It.” I have
I have dreams that scare the crap out of me and I know, from experience, that going for it out weighs staying on the shore.
I want to be in the middle of the arena with the Teddy Rosevelt’s of the world, not an onlooker from the stands.
Let’s do it together!!!
Defination of Stoked: being in an enthusiastic or exhilarated state. (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stoked)
My lower back hurts a lot this morning. When I laugh, cough, stand up, sit down, basically live life, my brain feels a scream of pain from my midsection. I hate it when I am immobilized like this.
Why did this happen again? Did an evil force do it to me again? Did the divine hand of God reach down and touch my back yesterday morning with the intent of causing me pain so I will finally learn a specific lesson? Or am I responsible?
I believe I am responsible!
I have known since 2003 that when I keep the core of my body strong, I reduce my risk of back pain and immobilization by over 85%. In 2003 my back said stop again, and our orthopedic surgeon recommended fusing some of my lower vertebrae to prevent this from happening again. I had been babying this issue for many years, and some say it’s from jumping out of excellent airplanes.
Wise friends encouraged me to get a second opinion, which I did. Six weeks later, another orthopedic surgeon said I didn’t need surgery. “One of your discs still has a bulge but, your leg numbness is gone; you can move without pain, you’re doing fine.” “What do you attribute this excellent recovery to?”
“Pilates”
I told the doctor I saw a Pilates TV commercial and started doing the floor exercises as I was able. Slowly the numbness in my left leg decreased and stopped. Slowly I was able to dress myself, especially but my Army boots on, without pain. Slowly the muscles that wrap around my waist got stronger and stronger, supporting my lumbar vertebrae and discs keeping the bulge from causing problems.
The Doctor replied, and wrote in my medical record, “patient should do Pilates regularly.”
I believe God gave me Pilates. Instead of healing me he was daily giving me the grace to do Pilates. For me, instead of a one time miracle he is giving the the miracle of his sustaining grace everyday. Instead of me remembering one awesome thing God had done I have the opportunity to be with him as he and I walk together daily.
His grace is always sufficient for every one of my needs whether I appropriate it or not.
When am I going too appropriate his grace? I hope more often then in the past!!!
Are you going to acknowledge and appropriate his loving, kind and faithful grace right now?
He is only this whisper away, “I need you God, I surrender to your will and way.”
Shalom to you and yours!
It’s Opening Day
In the Big Inning God. He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. He alone I trust.
I am in the major surgery league now. I am a little nervous but Father’s Grace Bubble surrounds and fills me with the perfect amount of grace I need.
A miracle for me is a Normacle for God. He has my back and together he say’s “we’ve got this.”
God’s love for us started before time began, so he has loved us longer than anyone else.
God’s plan A, because he loves us, is and always will be us knowing Father, the one true God, and Jesus the Messiah, whom the Father sent (John 3:16/17:3).
I am so glad I have a moment-by-moment relationship with God (Father, Jesus and Holy Spirit).
I am not “looking anxiously about” because I am in the palm of God’s hand and he is helping and strengthening me.
I am grateful for you, you are precious and special all day long, you’re my best buddy.
Because God loved me first, I love him and you,
See you soon,
Shalom,
Michael Jay Weiss, Sr., The Khai Guy
“The Gospel (Good News) is about how good God is not how bad I am.”
Click the play button above to hear Why Homefront Heroes is all about!!!
I could not have served 30 years as a U.S. Army Soldier without the love, support and encouragement of Darlene and family, my Homefront Heroes. Our military spouses don’t pack an A bag or wear the uniform but they do much more than we imagine and thank them for. They need help, encouragement and support when were deployed or not. Please support your local military wives faith based support groups like Protestant Women of the Chaplel, Catholic Women of the Chapel and Homefront Heroes.
Josh and Naci, at “Safetime,” are two of the safest people I know!!! I know this because I spend time with them each month myself, as does Connie’s House, who introduced me to SafeTime.
They may not have experienced the same life circumstances that you have faced, but they have experienced great pain individually, and as a couple. Their shared life experiences have equipped them to listen, emphasize, and offer a caring heart when you need to talk about painful experiences that are causing emotional turmoil in your life.
Their understanding of deep emotional pain is the reason they created “Safetime,” which is a ministry that provides a safe place where you, from anywhere around the world, can spend 45 minutes talking with them about the things you need to talk about.
Due to family circumstances, Josh and Naci are currently unavailable for Safe Time calls. I will share an update about the presence of Safe Time as it becomes available.
Please visit Connie’s House Homepage
“The Father loves the Son and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing” (John 5:20, NASB).
My Father, Ed Weiss, loved me and showed me what he was doing. He envisioned the radio and TV repair/car sound system installation business he started to be family owned and operated, maybe named Ed and Son’s someday. He would bring my brother Bill and I to work with him on Saturday’s and during the summer when we were teenagers. He taught me everything he knew about installing sound system equipment in automobiles. It kind of stuck, before joining the Army at 19, I did work for two other companies installing stereos in cars. In fact, when the Army Recruiter asked me what kind of job I wanted the only skill I thought I had was electronics.
Because our Heavenly Father loves Jesus, he shows Jesus everything he is doing! Jesus said, “I only do the works that I see the Father doing, for the Son does the same works as his Father” (John 5:19, TPT). Jesus honors and emulates the Father in everything he does.
Because our Heavenly Father loves you, he wants to show you everything he is doing also. In fact, Jesus, who likewise loves you, wants to help you hear and say what the Father is saying and see and do what the Father is doing like he does. They both want you to know them deeply and personally (Jn 17:3). They want to be so close that they want their Spirit to live within you, to lead and guide you into the pure way of living with them.
A crowd of people asked Jesus, “What shall we do, so that we may do the works of God?” Jesus replied, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him [Jesus] whom He has sent” (John 6:28, 29, NASB).
Do you believe in and that God sent Jesus!
How can I help you know them now and better?
“Why would you strive for food that is perishable and not be passionate to seek the food of eternal life, which never spoils? I [Jesus], the Son of Man, am ready to give you what matters most, for God the Father has destined me for this purpose” (John 6:27, TPT).
I was in a season where everything in my life seemed to be going wrong. My marriage was falling apart, I was laid off from my job where I had worked for 18 years, and one of my closest friends abandoned our ten-year friendship. I felt hopeless and alone. I questioned everything about my life, and I felt like I did not even know who I was/supposed to be. Fear and overwhelming sadness made it difficult to do anything. I believe God gave me the strength to still care for my two young children. I knew I had to keep going for their sake. As I cried to God, I would hear a song on the radio, or read a verse that would give me some encouragement. I started to memorize bible verses and write/print them out and place them around the house where I would see them throughout the day. I remember one particular verse about forgiveness (Mark 11:25). I told God I did not know how to forgive but I would keep repeating the verse until He showed me how. I also stumbled into another verse (Isaiah 43:18, 19) about not focusing on the past and trusting that God was doing new things in and around me. I didn’t believe any of it at first, but I kept meditating on the verses and saying them out loud to God. Eventually, I started to feel different inside. I found more bible verses, songs, and sermons that focused on God’s love. His love became real and I remember feeling peaceful inside even though not much in my circumstances had changed. I continued to fall in love with God’s word and Jesus became so real to me. I “heard” Him speak through songs, people, nature, dreams, sermons, bible studies and eventually my circumstances began to change. I saw God do miracles in my marriage, my family, my job and most significantly in my own heart. His love transformed how I felt about myself and I felt loved, restored, and accepted by Jesus. This changed how I viewed others, my life and all situations. His love continues to change me daily and I am so grateful to have a Savior who loves me so much.
J3Khai.fun 