Continuing to Believe

I have been told that a friend whose scroll went out the second week of June has been informed that his scroll and his commissioning documents are back - and that he is in August.
My scroll when in on 18 May, a week later, so hopefully I will hear that mine are back this week. I would really like to speak with the detailer tomorrow (or today)!

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Colossians 3:1-11 - Live Holy, No Matter What

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In a few minutes, I am leaving to go preach at a church up in Isanti County. I am preaching from Colossians 3:1-11 and the title comes from a posting a friend of mine who is a chaplain to the Navy SEAL community.

My three main points are:

• Seek the Heavenly
• Slay the Earthly
• Strengthen the Christ-Likeness
  

I love to preach, and this morning should be fun!

After service update:
As I thought, it was great fun to present my sermon. The church was a little hard to find (don't always trust Google maps), but I made it in plenty of time, and we had a great time of worship.

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Navy PRT

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I had another Navy PRT on my agenda for today. Not much difference from my last one (linked here).

• Curl Ups: 83 (82: Excellent Medium)
  
• Push Ups: 39 (63: Good Low)
  
• 1.5 Mile Run: 14:45 (55: Satisfactory High)
  

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• Results: 200: Satisfactory High

BTW - the picture here is of an Air Force PFT - I could not find an image of a Navy PFT!!

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Countdown

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According to my Google counter, I have 53 days until the life changing experience of entering the active duty Navy Chaplain's Corps!

(No orders yet - I am speaking 53 days in faith!!)

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Waiting, Pt. 2

And this from my recruiter this afternoon:

Not ruling out August yet, but...

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Waiting

A friend of mine who will likely be in the same chaplain school class as me emailed me this morning. He wrote this:

FYI....I totally believe that you and I will be in the August class. There is plenty of time for this to happen. Two months allows for the scroll list, comm docs, and detailer assignment according to my recruiter. He has not guaranteed me in the class; however, he has said strongly to plan accordingly.

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Psalm 37:4

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"Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart."
Earlier, I wrote the following in my journal:

It does not follow from this verse that the Lord will give me whatever I ask for as long as I desire the Lord. Rather, I believe that this verse means that as I grow in delighting in the Lord, my desires will change and what I ask for will be in alignment with what he wants for me. I think this includes his understanding of the right time for things to happen.

There are stepping stones of faith that are part of the process of trusting in God to give us the desires of our heart in his time.

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Waiting

Times of waiting are never easy. I have a sense of what God would have us to do in the future, but there is a time of waiting that is part of the process. I am trying to ensure that I learn the lesson that God wants for me as I wait for the next move in my journey toward the chaplaincy.

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Running Well

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Though I have run off and on for several years, I haven't been a consistent runner in a long time. Now that I am selected to the Navy Chaplain Corps, I have found some consistency. I am able to comfortably run three miles on a mixture of road & trail, and a mixture of decline and incline at a consistent 10 minutes per mile pace, three or four times per week.
I am hoping that when I have to run the shorter distance of 1.5 miles for my PRT, the extra endurance will help me to keep up an acceptable pace. I'll know on the 20th when I have a Navy PRT on my agenda again.

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Scroll

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As of today, I continue to wait for my scroll approval (prospective commissioned officers are listed on a document (often called a scroll) which has to go through congress and then be signed off on by the Secretary of Defense).
I found out today that my DC hotel mate's scroll is back and that he is slated for the August ODS. Also a new friend from Florida whose chaplain application and scroll dates are very similar to mine is being told to continue to plan for a 6/19 commissioning ceremony.
In the words of my processor:

You never know. The scroll approval could come through tomorrow or it could be August. I have seen scroll approved in as little as 4 weeks and as long as 16 weeks (that was a one time deal when the scrolls ended up sitting on someone's desk - hasn't happened since).

The journey has been long and waiting is hard. God has seen us through up to this point, and I know he will in the weeks ahead - even if I have to wait for January before going to ODS.

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Navy ODS

Ah the fun of a journey back into military "basic training." It will be interesting to go through this training with members of several other Navy communities (medical, dental, legal, etc.). And I take comfort knowing that I will not be the oldest student in my ODS class.

Navy ODS Tips and Insights

Navy ODS Tips and Insights

Hey Ya'll! I just got out of Navy ODS and I'm here with some tips for you guys.

Things to bring:
unscented baby wipes (unless you like to smell like baby): you don't always have time to take a proper shower
those facial cleansing clothes that don't require water (see above)

iPod. They never specifially say you can use them, but they're fair game on weekends and evenings (well, evenings after the second week)

computer. Yeah, they say you can bring on on the website. There is PLENTY of storage space in YOUR room, locked up with YOUR lock. Bring it. You won't get internet access unless you're in wing 6, but it comes in handy, nonetheless.

watch. You won't be allowed to wear it until week 4 or 5, but you'll be glad you have it then.

Crappy glasses (if you wear them). You'll need crappy ones.

Contact lenses. At the very least, you'll want them for fire fighting and abaondon ship. They also make PT better. Nobody likes to run/do pushups with their glasses sliding down their noses!

Notebook. Scrap paper comes in very handy, and the last few weeks, you'll be allowed to carry it to class. Taking notes is a handy way to stay awake in power point hell. You'll understand when you get there.

Blanket. If you are in RI during anything except July and August, you'll want a blanket. They turn the heat off in the building because of the smell (remember the lack of proper showers?). The blankets you'll be issued are crap, plus you can't actually use them. You won't be sleeping in your bed. On it, maybe, but not in it. Bring a blanket, or buy a cheap on at the NEX when you get there.

Civilian clothes. Yeah. The website says to bring as few civvies as possible. Ignore that. Figure you'll have three weekends of liberty while you're there. That's Friday night, Saturday, and Sunday for three weekends. Pack accordingly.

Gel insoles. You'll be standing and walking pretty much 18 hours a day the first week or two. Then you'll be drilling for grad practice for HOURS at a time. Bring insoles. They'll save you.

Air freshener. Your room will need it.

Swiffer, and all swiffer-related items. You'll need them to clean your room. They place is ALWAYS dusty. You'll need them. There is a gear locker where you can check out items. These are at a premium, and you won't always have time to go all the way to the gear locker.

Books, if you like to read. I read more at ODS than I had in years. Bring reading material.

Playing cards. You'll have spare time, especially the last two weeks. Playing cards are a GREAT passtime, plus you get to socialize with your division. Use that iPod and the cool thing that turns it into a stereo. Good times.

Okay. I'll post more items to bring as I remember them. Here is the lowdown on what to expect the first few days.

You'll check in Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. Enjoy these days. No one will yell at you. Leave the building. Use this opportunity to get to know your division. Go off base. You won't leave base again for three weeks. Enjoy it.

Monday: no one will yell at you this day, either. It's admin day. You'll be bored. Enjoy the boredom. Relish the boredom. You won't be bored again for a while.

Tuesday: it's go-time. They will tell you to be up and ready at 5am. It's really 4am. Be ready to go, IN YOUR ROOM by 0345. You won't regret it.

Make sure the people near the hall doors are comfortable with rank and recognition. Also, make sure somebody is posted there watching to see who's coming through the doors. You'll have to call "attention on deck," "chief on deck," ect all the time. You'll get dropped (pushups, punitive PT, etc) if somebody walks in and nobody calls it.

You'll be issued a water bottle. It will be with you AT ALL TIMES. They will try to trick you with this the first REAL day of training. They'll tell you to ground your bottle. Tell you it goes with you everywhere, then send you to your rooms to get something. TAKE YOUR BOTTLE WITH YOU!!! This is a trick. You may not get YOUR water bottle back if you don't take it to your room with you.

Know your left from your right. This is invaluable.

Learn how to iron.

Know how to do your own laundry.

Practice taking REALLY quick, REALLY cold showers.

Get used to having no privacy. The shower curtains...not large enough to cover most of...anything.

When you check into your room on the day you arrive, you'll notice a little green notebook on your desk. Take this notebook, and write in it:
you chain of command (located on one of the bulletin boards in your hallway)
11 general orders of a sentry
Sailor's creed
Anchor's aweigh (all verses)
Navy/USMC rank and recognition
This is your knowledge. Memorize it. You'll be expected to recite from memory at will ANY and ALL of this. Especially during uniform inspections.

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Congratulations

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A letter arrived in the mail today from the Navy Recruiting Command:

Congratulations on your selection to the Chaplain Corps Direct Appointment Program. Competition has been keen and you should be proud of your selection.

I guess that means I am mostly in. All that remains are the commissioning documents and orders to school (hopefully for August).

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Navy PRT

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I had a Navy PRT on my agenda for today. This morning I did the strength portions (curl ups and push ups) in my living room, and this afternoon, I finally decided to brave the rain to go out to do the 1.5 mile run. Here are my results:

• Curl Ups: 82 (84: Excellent Medium)
  
• Push Ups: 38 (64: Good Low)
  
• 1.5 Mile Run: 14:40 (59: Satisfactory High)
  

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• Results: 207: Satisfactory High
  

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Memorize Anything

How to Memorize Anything

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Memorization

How to Memorize Verbatim Text : Productivity501

With the volume of information I need to memorize over the coming weeks, this could be a great tool!

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Professionally Recommended

GW has been "professionally recommended" by the Navy CARE board. This means that I am considered fully qualified to be a chaplain. Now I have to wait for my commissioning documents before everything will be finalized.
We are hoping for a slot in the August school. If we don't make that school, then I would have to wait for January (which would be a difficult journey). I am of the mindset that since I am going to do this, I want to do it sooner rather than later. Please continue to pray with us.

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Calisthenics

Daily 16

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Health & Lifestyle Books daily 16 physical training

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