Next Week Kent

I do a lot of counseling in my role as a military chaplain. There are a few themes that have emerged recently. One of them is essentially, "how can I have a better life NOW?"

The short answer is that there are rarely easy answers. But I have shared my unscientific method with some folks and thought I would share it with you.

I have realized that the more I think about "next week Kent" (in about 7 days) the better next week Kent is. I encourage folks to think of their future self and then ask themselves what they can do now to make that future self happy.

Here is an example: I may want a doughnut NOW, but I know next week Kent would not be happy with me for doing that.

So how do you get a better life right now? Ask yourself what kind of life you want next week and start making decisions so that your future self is happy.

Eventually, you will catch up to your future self and last week's decisions are then multiplied and compounded to give you a better life "now" (which was "next week" last week).

Maybe another way to say it is that delayed gratification is a wonderful gift we can give ourselves. Certainly that is one of the messages of Jesus' temptation. The devil was into "do it NOW" and JC was more, "no thanks, I am in it for the long haul and I want to keep next week JC happy."

What do you think? 

Basketball

My basketball officiating will come to an end for the season tomorrow and this has got me in a retrospective mood. So here is some randomness from my season:

• I LOVE basketball. It doesn't matter the level/grade, it is an outstanding sport. Thank you Dr. Naismith
• One or two knucklehead parents/fans can sour a whole game (see my other post)
• I got to officiate a Churubusco game (I work for an assignor and go where I am told)
• A 5th grade girl hit a last second 3 point shot from right inside the half court line and drilled it off the backboard. The place went nuts!
• The blessing of making new friends in new places is a gift
• Reconnecting with old friends that I have not seen in many years
• Instead of spending dark winter nights in my apartment, I was on the court getting great exercise
• I am grateful for Terre Haute officials that have given me a wide welcome into their officiating community
• Some schools know how to do hospitality right...others don't seem to ever give it a thought. I wish there were a standard that schools had to follow
• Before this season, the last official game I worked was Feb., 2007 and I didn't realize how much I missed being on the court

Ash Wed.

This is the day of new beginnings...a first step into the wilderness of sacrifice, introspection and mud on our face. Or ashes to be more clear.

I will be leading a 10 minute service today at 1100 local. I will remind us that the ashes mean 3 things (at least):

• Ashes are an outward and visible sign of an inward penitent spirit (our sin grieves us)
• Ashes make us stick out today, but we should stick out the other 364 days of the year by the counter culture ways we love, extend grace and answer to a higher calling
• And ashes are a sign of hope. In the words of one of my favorite Meatloaf songs, "you've been through the fires of hell and have the ashes to prove it!" The hell of our sin is not the last word...

...but I am getting ahead of myself. We got 39 more days (not counting Sundays, i.e. "Little Easters") of wilderness to go. Repentance during Lent is not quick, it might hurt and it differently will cause of to lean on each other.

May your Lenten journey be Holy. 

Retreat!

"Retreat" is not usually a good word in military circles. But for this weekend it will be an outstanding word! I am getting ready to support a Strong Bonds "Fearless Marriage" retreat for 33 couples from the 181st. We will be in downtown Indy at a wonderful hotel and be treated to a great curriculum that promises to deepen our marriages.

Strong Bonds is one of the best keep secrets of the Air National Guard. It is money that supports retreats like this as well as retreats for families and single Airmen at absolutely no cost. We give preference to those that have recently deployed, but other than that anyone can sign up.

My hunch is that just the fact that these couples are intentionally separating themselves from their hectic day to day world will be as much a benefit as the curriculum. Why is it so hard to let the day to day cares of "real life" overwhelm us?

If Jesus needed retreats what is our excuse? He was notorious for holding in tension times of engagement and times of pulling back either in solitude or a small group.

How about you? Is it time for some good retreating? What would it take to make it happen?

Sacred Text Reading

One things the Chaplain Corps at the 181st is implementing this month is a different monthly theme to help Airmen exercise their spiritual fitness. Official USAF doctrine states that we can't be totally fit without holding in check the pillars of emotional, physical, social and spiritual. Needless to say, the spiritual pillar is our lane as the Chaplain Corps.

I was a part of a short video that I shared on Facebook that was picked up by the Active Duty Chaplain Corps that tried to explain what we are attempting to with these pit stops (as a reminder, our unit is closely tied to the Hulman family that owned the Indy 500 for several years...we are called the "Racers" in their honor).

Anyways...this month's focus is sacred text reading. Sacred texts ground us, giving us meaning and bring us hope. Of course the Bible is the top of the list for Christians. But I would add that their are other writings that I consider sacred that help me understand the teachings of Scripture. Some of those authors on my list are: John Wesley, Thomas Merton, Diana Butler Bass, Rosemary Reuther, Rachel Held Evans and Barbara Brown Taylor.

What reading do you do on a regular basis that grounds you, gives you meaning and brings you hope?