90-88 days - OCF Retreat

During this three day weekend I was at the OCF spring retreat. It was a great time; I would say it was the best retreat I have been to. The reasons are not because the speaker was amazing, which he was and I learned so much from him. But because of all sides coming together it was the best because of the speaker/the activities/the people/the time alone and all of the other things during this weekend. It was at the right time and hit the right notes in my heart. To make this an amazing weekend.

I will write more about the weekend later on but now I have to get back to work.

91 days - Calling 2

Do you ever tell someone what you feel your calling to be and they laugh in your face? I just had that happen to me. Granted I think God has a pretty intense call for me. But that hurts and I start to second guess if I am right in what I believe to be my purpose on this earth.

Everything I do has a purpose I try not to do anything without a purpose that does not meet the end state. I know the direction that Jesus has pointed me in and I do not do things that I do not move me in the direction. (I should precise I try with all my might to do things that take me only in the direction that Jesus intends me to go).

Come times do you ever feel discounted from everything? Like the world is spinning around and you are standing still and are completely outside of everything that is going on. Or like a story is being told and I walked in during the middle of the story and I am the only one who is lost. Some times I feel like that and it is not fun at all there are only two people on this planet who are able to help me start spinning again. I love you both so much.

Now do not take this to mean that I am discouraged or lost all the time granted I feel that most a lot of the time but that is not the attitude that I chose to have. I chose to overcome that and take a stand and step forth in faith.

well I am about to leave for the Spring OCF retreat, I do not think I will be posting for the next couple of days unless I can find internet but I will be writing them and posting them when I get back. For those of you who do read if any, have a great three day weekend and I will be back when I am back ;)

92 days - Calling

What does it feel like to be doing the thing you were designed to do? What does it feel like to do the thing that God put you on this earth to do?

I know that God is put me on this earth to do great things for him and his kingdom. But how do I know that I am in his will? How do I know that the path that I am on is the right one?

I am not completely sure...but this I do know that I have to take a stand and take hold of my life with and through the power of Jesus Christ.

CPT Scott Smiley was blinded in Iraq as a result he hated God in the aftermath of his blindness. He said he was so angry at everyone and God. But one day he saw that he had to take a stand. His life and been torn from him...the life he had known and the life he was accustomed to. He had to take a stand and with the strength of Jesus step up and life for Christ.

He talked about going to west point and how he felt that is was all right and he felt like he was at home doing the will of God.

I feel the same way. When I am here at west point leading men and women I feel at peace at home. I know there is nowhere else on earth I would rather be then right here sitting at my desk as the A1 company commander. Even when spend 2 hours on passes or hours on an issue that should have taken minutes. I love it. I know (I think) that I am making a difference and I am where I am meant to be.

I was called to lead people I am not saying I am any good at it, I have a lot to learn and there are many many people who could do a much better job than me but I love it even if I am not the best man for the job. I am doing what I love and I love what I do.

93 days - day late

so this post is a day late but i am going to have 100 posts in the next 100 days. it is amazing to think that i am almost there. it seams right around the corner.

94 days - Attitude

ATTITUDE

by

Charles Swindoll

"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.  Attitude, to me, is more important than facts.  It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think, say or do.  It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill.  It will make or break a company... a church... a home.  The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we embrace for that day.  We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way.  We cannot change the inevitable.  The only thing we can do is play the one string we have, and that is our attitude... I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.

And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes”

I believe this is so true. Attitude is the only thing in your life that you control every day. Every day I wake up and I decided what attitude I have for that day. The attitude you take into the day decides how you react and what you get out of day.

People who have bad attitudes are missing so much, opportunities close, lessons go unheeded, and they miss so much in life that is meant for their benefit. That attitude determines how you react to situations and events.

Every day I wake up and make a decision to have a good attitude or a bad attitude.

What choice have I made today???

95 days - Waiting

Patience is a virtue......whoever said that should be shot.

I hate to wait for things. I like to get things when I want them. However as the world works and how God has ordained it. I rarely get what I want when I want it.

However there is something to be said for absence makes the heart grow fonder. When you are apart from something that you love when you are reunited with that thing or person isn't is so much sweeter because you have waited and now are together.

I was talking to my mom earlier today and she mentioned some things and I was like I really do not want to wait for that.....but that is what I have been called to do right now so I will wait. Because when we try and satisfy ourselves outside of the Lord's timing it always ends up empty and we are never filled.

So I will wait for the things that Jesus has me waiting for. Because the only reason I do not have then now is because I am not ready for them. It is not the right time.

Jesus...waiting on you.

96 days - "You don't have to want to...you just have to do it"

"You don't have to want to...you just have to do it"

These are great words of wisdom I received from my mother today...well these are great words of wisdom I have received from my mother for the past 21 years among others.

However I have never really looked at them or at least never their true import never was seen by me until today.

you know those sticking points in your life where you feel like you will never get out no matter what you try and in order to get out you will have to change something or work harder the place you are stuck may not be the best for you but you are relatively comfortable and you are familiar with that place. Well I am in such a place and if I remain I will never be able to reach the dreams that have motivated me my entire life and live the life that Jesus intends me to live.

when I was 12 years old I made an oath to myself...one which I have not looked at or remembered for a long time...however it was instrumental in guiding me to where I am today. It was my sounding board my, azimuth, my point of origin to from which I leaped out into the life I am living or trying to live today.

My oath:

To defend women and children, and those less capable of defending themselves then me and to defend freedom.

This is what I swore to myself and it may sound silly how a 12 year old boy could do anything that would direct his life for the next almost 10 years. I did.

However in the past 2 years I have lost sight of my oath and I have allowed other things to cloud my judgment and moved me away from my oath. I want to do so many great things and I feel like God is leading me to do something great for him and his kingdom. However I have taken my eyes off of the prize I have turned my head towards prizes that are closer to me and more easily attainable. But the lasting benefit is nothing compared with what it would be for my oath.

Sometimes there are things in my life which are good for me but are painful; the benefit of them cannot be denied however I do not feel like doing them. At this point is where I need to remember what my mom said and, I do not have to want to I just have to do it. "It" the thing that will make the difference. "It" the thing that is hard but absolutely necessary. "It" the course of action that will lead me in the direction of the prize on which my eyes should be set.

"I don't have to want to...I just am going to do it."

97 days – Maneuver Ball speaker

The Maneuver Ball was so much fun. It was a great time with so much tradition and ceremony, it is really cool to be part of an organization with that much history. I was there with Naomi Fuhrman, we where there to hang out with all the cool Infantry men and to dance. However when the music started they were not playing swing music, but club music and that is not our scene. We put up a valient effort at dancing and that was great, but it was also very entertaining to watch all the drunk people dancing because they were just commical. One of the cool things was the “grog” it was a sort of alcohol punch. They tool 10 different liquors’ and mixed them together each one represented a war or conflict that he United States had participated in. then when COL Haskes tasted it when they were done, he said, “there is something missing…” and one of the guys mixing pulled out an ACU Boot and threw it in which represented all the miles we have walked and our journey through west point. Then COL Haskes tasted the grog again drinking it from the boot. That was cool, the grog was absolutely nasty it was so strong.

the Commander of Fort Benning he has some great stuff to day. One of the things he talked about was,

“They don’t care how much you know….until they know how much you care.”

I think there is more truth in this then any of us realize. Your soldiers are not going to care how much you know, that said we have to be tactically competent and proficient but that matters little compared with how much we care about those we lead.

He also said,

“Be proud but don’t be satisfied.”

Like the captains from the Ranger Regiment said, you have to earn your scrolls everyday. Every day we are working towards becoming better and improving ourselves.

98 days - 75th Ranger REG & Maneuver Ball

I just got back from a briefing about the 75th Ranger Regiment. It was amazing! It is always amazing when you start a brief off with, "you all have a secret clearance right?"

They are a unit committed to the highest levels of excellence. One of their mottos and beliefs is that you have to earn your scroll every day. The organization of their entire community lends to this mentality and atmosphere.  

Maneuver (Infantry) Ball

That is tonight it is going to be a great time. The reason it is now called the maneuver ball instead of the just the infantry ball as in the past is because the Armor guys will be joining us as well. So they are joining us….do not listen to anything else they are joining us not the other way around.

I am ready to dance tonight!!!!

99 days - Leadership

So there are 99 days until graduation and I have decided to blog for 100 days straight until graduation. I may miss one or two because of Honduras or something or another but I will do 100 blogs, one for each until I graduate from West Point.

Leadership is all about people and caring about them and loving them. It is hard sometimes to help people see how much I love them when I am making decisions that they do not understand and do not they do not like. How do you help people see the big picture when some of them are determined to only see the small picture right in front of their eyes.

Something to think and ponder as this semester moves forward and that is why I am here. To learn, grow and improve.

100 days until GRADUATION!!!!!!!

THIS IS A HUGE MILE STONE IN MY WEST POINT JOURNEY. I AM NOT 100 DAYS AWAY FROM GRADUATING AND MOVING ON TO MY THE JOB FOR WHICH I HAVE BEEN TRAINING FOR FOR FOUR YEARS.

wow this feels weird, now it is my turn. one chapter is about to close and another is about to open.

MINIMALISTS....aaaahhhh

I really do not have time to be writing this but I have to.

MINIMALISTS....I hate them. People who figure out what is the lowest target they can hit and get by and aim for that. What is the point?

I do not see how you can honestly look at a takes and go into it saying you are going to only shoot for the absolute lowest standard.

When I attack problem I give my all to it I could never do less. Even for tasks that I do not fully agree with or have a hard time getting my heart behind, there is no excuse for doing anything less than your best in any and all circumstances.

If am an ambassador of Jesus Christ and I am one of this workers, I represent him when I work on anything in my life. Why would I want to be known for doing the minimum standards, Jesus never gave only a part of his heart to his missions when he preached when he healed when he hung on the cross he was ALL IN!!!!!!

ALL IN!!!! That is my battle cry and how I try to live. Always striving to do my best in any and all circumstances. Anything less is selling myself short.

Jesus is in the Business

Jesus wants us to long to be with him alone and not to live for the blessings that come with a relationship with him. He wants our focus on him and him alone.

Jesus is not in the business of making bad people good he is in the business of making dead people alive.

Jesus did not come to make bring us a good life he came in order to bring us closer to himself.

Jesus is in the business of restoration I got this devotional this morning it reminded me of how much Jesus loves me. even when I cannot feel, even when I am hurting and I wish Jesus would give him his strength, even when I am so tired and overwhelmed that I want to quite Jesus has and will never leave my side He is teaching me and growing me into the man of God He wants me to become.

================

Restoration

Look at the life of Jesus. Notice what he did. When Jesus touched the blind, they could see; all the beauty of the world opened before them. When he touched the deaf, they were able to hear; for the first time in their lives they heard laughter and music and their children's voices. He touched the lame, and they jumped to their feet and began to dance. And he called the dead back to life and gave them to their families.

Do you see? Wherever humanity was broken, Jesus restored it. He is giving us an illustration here, and there, and there again. The coming of the kingdom of God restores the world he made.

God has been whispering this secret to us through creation itself, every year, at springtime, ever since we left the Garden. Sure, winter has its certain set of joys. The wonder of snowfall at midnight, the rush of a sled down a hill, the magic of the holidays. But if winter ever came for good and never left, we would be desolate. Every tree leafless, every flower gone, the grasses on the hillsides dry and brittle. The world forever cold, silent, bleak.

After months and months of winter, I long for the return of summer. Sunshine, warmth, color, and the long days of adventure together. The garden blossoms in all its beauty. The meadows soft and green. Vacation. Holiday. Isn't this what we most deeply long for? To leave the winter of the world behind, what Shakespeare called "the winter of our discontent," and find ourselves suddenly in the open meadows of summer?

If we listen, we will discover something of tremendous joy and wonder. The restoration of the world played out before us each spring and summer is precisely what God is promising us about our lives. Every miracle Jesus ever did was pointing to this Restoration, the day he makes all things new.

(Epic, 82-83)

Putting my foot down

This is a great topic one that I will explore in more detail however in the past 7 hours I have studied for no more than 2 of them.

I am having problems with my staff and their commitment to completing a task to standard and with dedication. Selling out for the job that is the problem. People do not see the big picture so they are not motivated to reach it.

I sent this email out to my staff earlier tonight if you know anything about West Point you will know that passes are everything and getting out on the weekend is what people live for.

====================

Hey everyone,

I am very sorry for the number of emails but I this one is needed. This email is not personal this is business; do not mistake firmness and an absolute for harshness.

We will be doing this differently in future however there are certain things that need to be done and they need to be done to standard and on time. Your passes and the passes of your staff are depended on the completion of these tasks by the deadlines presented. This is none negotiable. You have a staff for a reason. We all have school; a lot of school gets it done. I will not be approving passing until I receive the information required to standard.

(Tasks here)

======================

I will be discussing this more when I have time but I wanted to put this in my record of the semester. Now that I have put my foot down I cannot flinch or my word becomes worthless.