Amy and I had dinner last night with some friends who’ve spent nearly a decade and a half serving military families throughout in western Europe as well as here in the US with MCYM. They are currently at Ft. Lewis in WA which hosts nearly 30,000 soldiers. We’ve not spent altogether that much time with these folks in the grand scheme of things. Nonetheless, have forged a deep bond nonetheless. In fact, as we caught up on news about the other folks we knew through the organization they work for, we reflected at the depth each relationship had reached in such a short span of time.
“It’s this way around the military,” our friends explained; “when you find someone you click with, you don’t mess around.” The intentionality of relationships in military settings is framed by an urgency that cuts through some of the fluff that defines a lot of “casual” friendship. As only one example of why this is, some 15,000 troops will be deployed from Ft. Lewis to either Afghanistan or Iraq over the next year and a half. For folks like our friends, the possibility of “a death in the family” is a daily reality. In fact, a few years ago, after I returned from a trip to Germany where I partnered with these same folks, I received an email from a 16 year old kid whose father had lost both his legs and was returning home. He was thanking me for my visit. MCYM staff are constantly in positions to care for kids like in these situations and their families; a unique and sacred privilege. The time one might spend with such a kid has to count.
In a similar way, I’ve visited Ft. Jackson in South Carolina each year for the past six years. Ft. Jackson trains more soldiers than any other installation in the United States. At any given moment, 40,000+ soldiers are being trained to serve in the Army. With each passing year, my visits have grown more sacred, due in part to the knowledge that some of the 4200 US casualties in Iraq or the nearly 700 in Afghanistan are young men and women I’d met and performed for. The songs and stories I shared with them need to have mattered.. Wasting words on self-promotion or other nonsense was not an option.
These people and the opportunities I have had to share in their work has helped to reshape the sense of urgency with which I go about my daily work. Not that the particulars are identical but the realities of life and death are. About every six seconds a child dies of hunger; meaning that in the time it took me to write this several hundreds of children died, adding up to nearly 30,000 by the end of the day (7 times the total number of US deaths in Iraq since 2003. Urgency. With each senseless and unnecessary death, I believe we become less and less human. Urgency.
They have also helped to reshape the depth of my friendships. Not that every conversation with every friend is about some heavy topic or another (hunger, war, LOST) but that I would treat each friendship I am blessed with the sense of sacred thankfulness it deserves.
![[Digg]](http://www.justinmcroberts.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/digg.png)
![[Facebook]](http://www.justinmcroberts.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/facebook.png)
![[MySpace]](http://www.justinmcroberts.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/myspace.png)
![[Twitter]](http://www.justinmcroberts.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/twitter.png)
Hey Justin,
. Anyway, about the note you really do just try to click with people when you meet with someone you like because you never know how long you are going to be in the same place or when/if you will ever see them again. Thanks for doing what you do and having such a heart for the military and their families it’s greatly appreciated. Hope to see you this weekend!
I loved this note. I am an Army Brat myself. I don’t know if you remember me, I was interning with my local MCYM in Wuerzburg, Germany back in the Fall of ’05 when you came and played for the weekend powderpuff tournament we had. I was so excited to hear that you are going to be at Jubilee, hopefully I’ll get a chance to say hi, I’ll try to have some Club Beyond shirts on
God Bless,
Bianca
[Reply]
My dear Brother in Christ,
We don’t know each other but I too am persuaded that everyone who is in the good fight of faith daily, lives intentionally just like God,reflecting His nature and character through love and relationships that are meant to be deep and rich, not casual, but filled with His purposes.
I was moved by your story of the shoes (we are involved with Kenya and stories that are strikingly similar). It always humbles and reminds me to put things into a eternal kingdom perspective, that when gained, moves me appropriately to worship intensely with my life. Thank you.
Thank you for this blog on the military which also spotlights another vital need. I live near Fort Lewis and I am painfully aware of the depths of needs for the marriages and families of our military. The shear number of military marriages that are failing at an astounding rate is in epidemic proportions. Which naturally affects their entire family.
There are some incredible opportunities opening up for the church (universal) to be outside of the four walls ministering to these families. We are praying for God to continue to raise up an army (supernatural) of saints that are so enamored with an magnificent awesome God that has captured their own hearts with the overflowing grace of the Gospel, that they would be allow themselves to be assets for the kingdom by becoming marriage mentors. Not just for the military of course, but that is an obvious place where the fields are ripe for harvest. That together we would pour out our lives in joy, pointing to how marvelous He really is.
For the Only cause that counts,
Your bother Craig
[Reply]
Justin:
Thanks for continuing to serve and lead others in worship. I remember so vividly the times you led us in worship when I was with MCYM in Europe. You have such an awesome way of connecting others with the Holy presence.
My son is now serving in northern Iraq. I appreciate your heart for our military.
I pray to one day be able to visit with you, experience one of your concerts again. Any plans to come to the Lubbock, Texas area?
Craig Daugherty
[Reply]
Justin,
I know the urgency your talking about first hand. I am a Chaplain Assistant with an Army Unit out of Ft. Bragg, NC, and am now currently serving in Afghanistan. The bonds here are as close if not closer than the bonds one shares with family, and when we lose a Soldier, its like losing a brother; thus far we’ve lost 5 guys. I have also seen miracles first hand from the battlefield, men that were in Humvee’s that were hit with an IED which should have killed them made it out, while the vehicle was completely destroyed. The Soldiers that we minister to know that tomorrow isn’t ever promised, but they know the there is a loving God who’s watching out for them. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us.
PFC Lake G. Ray, IV
Chaplain Assistant
[Reply]