From Sea Level To Mountaintop

July 14

After two hours on the road, the retreat center for our high school students was around the next corner. It was late spring, and we had been surprised by the amount of snow still in these upper elevations. We saw the sign and turned onto the dirt road, seeing buildings ahead. We came to a stop by the cabins, sitting above the still-frozen marsh and connected by elevated boardwalks.

Once everything was unpacked, we proceeded to the first thing on our meticulously-planned schedule. Walking to another area of the campground, we came to a sliding halt at the volleyball court. It was still under 3 feet of snow. Some of the kids were still game to try it, but all I could think of were wet, frostbitten toes, so we returned to the cabins for plan B.

The older we get, the more plans we see go out the window. It's just a fact of life, as we realize that the things we are in complete control of are few and far between. But we can always count on what the Lord has lined up for us. "Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders you have done. The things you planned for us no one can recount to you..." (Psalm 40:5)

July 15

I was a year into my tour at a multi-service brig and was looking over the list of recent arrivals. Just two of them were sailors, which was a surprise. But the bigger surprise was recognizing the name of the third class Boatswain's Mate. He had worked in one of my divisions on my last ship. And now here he was, with a 6-month confinement order and a likely discharge at the end. A few days later, he saw me and hung his head.

"Boats, what happened?" And he told me how he had been driving around base at night with a couple of friends. One of them had a pellet gun and they decided to have a little fun. Shooting stop signs and the like got boring, so they began to aim at the buttocks of other sailors. Flashing blue lights appeared behind them, followed by a courts-martial.

Just having a little fun during a lapse in judgment likely changed his life forever. I'd like to think that the other guys led him astray, but he should have had the presence of mind to change their minds. "He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm." (Proverbs 13:20)

July 16

We were steaming in our assigned area a couple of weeks prior to Desert Storm. It was a quiet afternoon, winding down after a day of flight quarters and various drills. It was interrupted as chilling words came over the loudspeaker system. "Medical team to the flight deck!" Everyone cleared the passageways so the corpsmen and doctor could rush unimpeded to the scene. But once there, they had to wait impatiently while a rescue crew reached the sailor in distress.

The victim had climbed a ladder down into the aviation fuel pump room, which was notorious for leaks. The fumes had quickly overcome the sailor, who fell unconscious. Two men protected with breathing apparatus went down to carry him out. Fortunately, the sailor was rescued in time and recovered, suffering minor chemical burns from laying in a puddle of fuel. The incident was captured on film by a CNN camera crew.

Life is precious and always at risk. Take a step back and look around at what you routinely do. You just might see something that needs to be changed. "Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers..." (Deuteronomy 30:19)

July 17

After a behind-the-scenes tour of a dam's generator building, we continued on our backpacking trip down the Missouri River. The destination of this group of high school boys was a campground a few miles away. Naturally, the pace of the teachers was a bit too slow for them, so they got further and further away until they were out of sight. But eventually we caught up, finding most of them on a footbridge spanning a creek. But one of them was in the water.

In the shallow tributary, he had just caught an 18-inch rainbow trout with his bare hands. While the other boys clapped and hollered, I was horrified. What he had done was illegal. No fishing of ANY kind was allowed in this small creek, which was a spawning site. I pointed at the warning sign and told him to put the fish back in the water, but it was too late. The gills were damaged by how the boy held the trout.

When in a hurry to satisfy our desires, we sometimes fail to see the clear warnings. Joshua took the mantle of leading the Israelites from Moses. In order to keep them from disobeying the Lord's commands again, he had them written down and read aloud for all to hear. "Afterward, Joshua read all the words of the law..." (Joshua 8:34)

July 18

Next to navigation, a Quartermaster's most important responsibility is to record the state of the weather every hour. Knowing the trend of the weather is vital to being able to make predictions. Officially, though, predictions are the responsibility of a group of meteorologists back at the Navy's central weather headquarters back in the States. But before the introduction of satellites, Navy ships served as weather stations around the world, giving them the needed data.

During a major qualifications review, an inspector was going through all of our documentation. The checklist was incredibly long, and he was currently in the weather section of it. "Do you accurately record and report the weather?" When I answered in the affirmative, he demanded that I prove it. So I pulled out a document that we had received a couple of months earlier from the weather headquarters. In it, we were recognized at the top Quartermaster-manned ship in the Pacific fleet.

Keeping an eye on the skies in order to predict the coming weather isn't the only use for clouds. Their use by the Lord is recorded in many ways, and we look forward to seeing a specific one. "At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory." (Mark 13:26)

July 19

A tug master in training tries to learn everything he can from those who are already qualified. Steaming to the next scheduled event was a convenient time to add lessons learned to the knowledge base, and I was picking his brain. But there's always something new to experience. I was at the helm, maneuvering to a ship's open side-port to drop off the pilot. It was after sunset, but light coming out of the side-port made it easy to see and aim towards. Fifty feet away, I lost control of the rudder, which was locked in a position to rapidly close the distance between us.

I sounded warning blasts on the horn and told my crew to brace themselves. We hit the ship hard and bounced off, then hit the ship again. The angle of the rudder kept us there, at the precise location needed. The pilot turned to me and said, "That works," and stepped onto the ship. My trainer turned to me and said, "That's never happened before." Our engineer was able to find the problem and fixed it in short order."

Life is never a straight shot to a destination. You will always need to make adjustments along the way in order to arrive. Especially when you're helping others. Believe me when I say that it's much easier if you allow the Lord to have a hand on the helm. "I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light..." (Acts 26:17)

July 20

I was just starting my tug master training on a cold, wet day. But then again, most days on San Francisco Bay were like that. I was looking over the schedule, which had us working with three ships and a couple of barges. The chief petty officer gave a summary of how we would likely interact with the ships, but said things could change pretty quickly. Especially if a certain pilot was assigned, telling me his nickname. "What do you mean?" I asked.

He told me of an incident from the previous year, when an aircraft carrier was coming into port. The pilot was overseeing the movement of the ship and had just passed under the second bridge. A turn was coming up, but the overshot the spot and ended up running aground in the mud. They had to wait for a high tide and extra tugboats, but they worked clear and tied up to the ship several hours later. And that's how the pilot earned the nickname, "Captain Crunch."

I'm not sure if the pilot was ever aware of it. I hope not, because I found him to be a good man. But whether it's your fault or not, a single mistake can tag you for life. Take care not to lose your name. "A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold." (Proverbs 22:1)

July 21

Even in the middle of the night, there's a lot of work to be done by sailors. While steaming off the coast of Southern California, I was on the bridge as the conning officer, assisting the Officer of the Deck (OOD). During our 4-hour watch, the engineers were engaged in an important fuel economy run. In order not to affect the results, we could not change our speed or alter our course by very much.

Around 3 am, I started tracking another ship on the radar screen, determining that it would pass uncomfortably close. I kept the OOD informed as we got closer and closer, telling him that the other ship had the right-of-way. If we altered our course early enough, even with the engineer's restrictions, we could pass behind the ship with a safe margin. But the OOD seemed unable to make a decision. Eventually, he had to call the captain to tell him what was going on. As I called out the narrowing distance, I could clearly hear the captain yelling over the phone. Every few seconds, the OOD would respond with a meek, "Yes, sir."

Certainly, there are times when it is wise to wait and reflect on which course of action to take. And there are times when prompt action is vital. Preparation and experience will increase the likelihood of success. "Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled..." (1 Peter 1:13)

July 22

After setting up camp, we had given the high school boys some free time to explore the area, telling them if they couldn't see our tents, then they had gone too far. We teachers opted to stay put, relaxing in the nice spring weather and talking among ourselves. We were located in a large triangle-shaped meadow, bounded by a river and high hills. Things were going well until someone noticed movement.

Way, way up on a hill (that Easterners would call a mountain) we could see some of the students. And they had worked themselves to the edge of a very steep drop-off. They were too far away to catch any warnings that we wanted to shout out. All we could do was silently watch and pray that nothing disastrous would happen. A full hour later, they returned to camp and noticed the look we had on our faces. "What? We could see the tents the whole time."

Exploring the unknown seems to be a part of all boys' genetic makeup. Exploring life and it's many choices can go well or not so well. Make sure your choices include His presence. "If the Lord delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand." (Psalm 37:23-24)

July 23

For quite some time, I had been pointing myself towards a career in the Navy, so I was now sitting in a recruiter's downtown office. Knowing that I was serious and committed, he immediately scheduled me for the ASVAB. This was a very long test that determined what Navy jobs I was best suited for. After I took the test and he scored the results, he sat down by me, wearing a big smile.

"Congratulations! You qualify for training to become a nuclear engineer. And you'll likely be assigned to submarine duty after your schooling." I thought about it for all of a second. "No thanks. I'd rather be a quartermaster." His eyes opened wide. "You can't be serious! Quartermasters stand more mid-watches than any other rating in the Navy. And you'll have to wait an extra 6 months before I can get you into the QM school. But you can be a nuclear engineer tomorrow!" I stood my ground and he eventually gave in.

We live in a consumer-driven society that wants everything right now. But going for the quick doesn't always turn out well. I have no doubt that my career, if I even ended up having one, and my life would have turned out differently. Looking back, I know that I made the right choice and the Lord blessed me for it. "Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." (Psalm 27:14)

July 24

We were giving a certain deck seaman a second chance. A couple of weeks ago, he was assigned as the brake man during an anchoring evolution. When an anchor is ready to let go, the brake is off, but is still held in place by a heavy metal clamp called a stopper. The stopper is released and the anchor falls, pulling chain with it. Once the anchor hits bottom, the brake is set and then carefully released if more chain needs to go out. On his first assignment, he had taken too many turns off of the brake, letting too much chain go out.

Lightning sometimes strikes twice. On this second chance, the anchor had already hit bottom and we were now letting out more chain. As the ship backed down, more and more links flew out of the chain locker until we reached the right length. This same brake man received the order to set the brake and he turned the big wheel the wrong way. He got flustered with all the yelling, and I had to push him aside and set the brake before we lost all the chain to the sea.

It would have been a disaster to lose the chain and anchor. Without them, our overall mission would have been severely compromised. In many parts of the world, an anchor is vital to the safety of the ship. Paul wrote of the importance of the promises of God for all those who followed Him. "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure." (Hebrews 6:19)

July 25

Going through the Panama Canal is a rare experience for any naval ship. Although the transit took all day and many hours of intense navigation and seamanship, it was worth it. Waiting for the next canal pilot to arrive, we had anchored in Gatun Lake and took in the scenery before our final leg to the Caribbean Sea. Finally, the pilot arrived and we began to bring in the anchor to get underway.

Moments after getting the "Underway" report from the foc'sle crew, it was followed by "Fouled Anchor!" We immediately stopped engines to find out what the problem was. A log, about 30 feet in length, was caught in the flukes of the anchor. Fortunately, the pilot's tugboat was still close by and its crew tied a line to the log and pulled it out.

In the building of the canal, Gatun Lake was greatly expanded with the addition of more water. Entire forests were still at the bottom of the lake, as our anchor found out. Most trees are beneficial to mankind, but you've got to be careful with some of them. Jesus compared the Pharisees to the latter. "The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produced good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire." (Matthew 3:10)

July 26

It was a daring move by the relatively new commanding officer of our large correctional facility. She had decided to "up our game." Certainly, there were military standards that we had to follow, standards that had been developed over the years and were enforced by an office in Wash, DC. But now we were going to shoot for accreditation through a civilian corrections organization. Eyebrows went up, but we all said, "Yes, ma'am!"

We through a two year process to get ready. Not only were there 410 standards to comply with, but we had to prove "policy-procedure-practice", and document it all. I'm not sure how we squeezed it in along with our day-to-day responsibilities, but we got it done in time. The inspectors looked deep and wide for a whole week, at the end of which we received the coveted accreditation.

In every walk of life and in every situation, there are rules to follow. Some are there to keep things safer and others are there to deter bad behavior. Still others are there to inspire us to go beyond just average and commonplace. Such you will find in the Bible. "You must obey my laws and be careful to follow my decrees. I am the Lord your God." (Leviticus 18:4)

July 27

Operation Desert Shield had been going on for months now, a multi-national response to Saddam Hussein's invasion of the tiny, but oil-rich country of Kuwait. The Iraqi dictator could read the writing on the wall as hundreds of thousands of opposing troops started to move into the area. Hoping to forestall the counter-attack, he tried a variety of threats and hostile acts to slow down the allied forces.

One thing he did was opening the oil pipelines and releasing millions of gallons of crude oil into the Northern Arabian Gulf. Saddam threatened to light it on fire, hoping that we would withdraw our ships. It's unknown if he actually tried it, though. And on the first day of Desert Storm, the counter-attack began and we steamed through the oil to land our Marines ashore. At worse, the oil was a nuisance as it was hard to clean off our ships. Fortunately, it cause any lasting ecological damage to the gulf region.

Saddam survived Desert Storm, but his own people executed him a few years later. He was evil personified, the exact opposite of the kind of person to emulate. "A fool finds pleasure in evil conduct, but a man of understanding delights in wisdom." (Proverbs 10:23)

July 28

My ship was anchored in the harbor of Taormina, Sicily when the loudspeaker system called for a medical team to respond to the quarterdeck. Up on the bridge, I walked out onto the wing to see what had happened. I watched as the corpsmen arrived, but there didn't seem to be an emergency. And then a boat sped to us from a nearby anchored destroyer. Laying on top of the boat's cabin were two unresponsive men in wetsuits.

The two sailors had been inspecting the underwater hull of their ship. whey they got too close to a powerful seawater suction inlet. One sailor had gotten trapped and the other sailor tried to help him, but ended up being trapped himself. Their masks and regulator tubes had been torn away by the suction and they lost their lives.

It was a grim reminder of how quickly a day can turn dangerous. Perhaps someone forgot to turn off the seawater inlet, or the divers just got too close to a known danger. No one on my ship knew them or anything about them. I can only hope that they knew the Lord and are in His presence now. "...for death is the destiny of every man; the living should take this to heart." (Ecclesiastes 7:2)

July 29

It was the second day of Desert Storm and my ship was tied to a pier a couple of miles south of the Kuwaiti border. We had quickly offloaded our Marines and their equipment the day before and had been receiving reports of the Allied offensive against Iraq's troops. From time to time we could hear a few "whumps" in the distance, but any fighting was way too far away to be seen. I was on the flight deck that afternoon, looking over some of my department's gear.

I straightened up and looked northward as there was an especially loud explosion, but I still couldn't see anything. Several seconds later, I felt the force of compressed air push me back. A couple of airmen and I looked at each other. "What was that? An ammo dump going up?"

To be able to feel it from that far away convinced us of the power of the explosion. The resulting fire must have consumed everything within reach, leaving ashes and rubble. Likewise, if we don't guard what comes out of our mouth, great damage can be done to others. Be slow to speak, especially in a heated moment. "Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body." (James 3:5-6)

July 30

I had signed up for a tour of Oahu and met a group of tourists who were already boarding the van. The driver doubled as the tour guide and was very knowledgeable of the island. From walking on extinct volcanoes to snorkeling in shallow reef waters, we all had a great time. We also stopped at a kakui nut factory that sold a variety of goods. These nuts come from Hawaii's state tree, the Candlenut Tree, and the locals made the hard shells into necklaces and other knickknacks.

There was one other product, chocolate-covered kakui nuts, and they turned out to be quite delicious. Our driver told us that eating too many of the nuts would act like a laxative and warned us against eating too many in one sitting. Well, you guessed. One guy ignored the warnings and ate the entire contents of a box. For the rest of the afternoon, our van was pulling over every 20 minutes to accommodate his needs.

It certainly reminded me of the time when Adam was warned away from a certain tree, but was weak and disobeyed, to his regret. "And the Lord commanded the man, 'You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.'" (Genesis 2: 16-17)

July 31

I've never been much of a beach guy, preferring to spend my free time up in the mountains. During one Persian Gulf deployment, we anchored off the coast of Abu Dhabi, the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. There weren't too many urban things that interested me, so I signed up for a tour of the countryside. I enjoyed travelling in the Ranger rover, visiting an oasis and a date farm, among other things. At lunchtime, we parked by huge sand dunes and ate our meals under the shade of an awning.

Our driver then unstrapped surf boards from on top of the vehicle and asked us to carry them to the top of the biggest dune. Once there, he gave us a few tips and off we went. I had never surfed before, much less on sand, but found it surprisingly easy. Until I got tired of coming back up, I surfed without ever falling off the board.

All in all, it was a good day in the sand. But I couldn't handle spending a lot of time out there, much less 40 years. But because of their lack of faith, a generation of Hebrews cheated themselves out of the Promised Land. "They spoke against God, saying, 'Can God spread a table in the desert?'" (Psalm 78:19)

August 1

I was in my first couple of months as the First Lieutenant's assistant on a fleet oiler, and many in Deck Department had their doubts about me. Except for my year on a tugboat, I didn't have much hands-on experience. Being prior enlisted, I had their respect, but I hadn't had the opportunity yet to earn their trust. Until my first underway replenishment.

While we were steaming side-by-side with another ship, a seaman got his foot in a loop of line that was being pulled back. I happened to be close enough to grab his leg and lift it high enough so that the line fell away. And in the same hour, two seaman got into a fistfight. Perhaps not knowing any better, I quickly put myself between them and had to block a couple of blows before they realized who had interrupted their fight. From then on, I wasn't just "sir" anymore. I was the "Bos'n."

I proudly carried that title for three years, but it pales in significance to the ultimate one. "Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name..." (Philippians 2:9)

August 2

I was walking the streets of Taranto while on Shore Patrol. It's a nice little seaport inside of the heel of Italy's "boot." It's a working-man's town, not flashy and loud like some places. My partner and I were standing on a corner eating pizza when my attention was drawn to a couple of guys having a conversation. They were using sign language and I found that I could understand them as long as they didn't spell any words. Because I don't know Italian.

I walked over and started to sign as well. At first, they responded by signing that they were deaf, and then the guys realized they could understand me, too. One of the questions they asked me was, "Are you paid lots of money?" I answered with, "Not enough." And one guy told his friend said, "See? I told you all Americans aren't rich!"

A good work ethic and blessings from the Lord will always be enough. And if you're abundantly blessed, share it with others. "Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread." (Proverbs 30:

August 3

While on a multi-family campout, I went out onto the lake early one morning with my son. We were both in kayaks and he was fishing. But not casting endlessly, hoping to get a bite from a perch in the shallows. No, he was looking for a large lake trout or a northern pike, which required trolling. He had a fishing pole holder clamped onto his kayak, so he cast out once and then started paddling along, letting the action of the lure attract any fish.

My son paused from time to time to study the water before moving on. I never took a break and I paddled hard all the time, yet I kept falling further behind. "Are you trolling for barracuda?!" I yelled. He stopped to let me catch up, and then reminded me that his kayak was longer and tracked straighter. As a result, he got the most out of his paddling, while my kayak's bow swayed left and right, wasting energy.

In writing to the Hebrews, Paul encouraged them to renew their spiritual vitality in order to run the race for faith. In the same way, we need to shake off our tiredness and aimlessness, pursuing God as He leads us to our planned destination. "Therefore straighten the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed." (Hebrews 12:12-13)

August 4

When taking over as underway Officer of the Deck, a lot of information is exchanged so that the oncoming watchstander is up to date on everything going on. This includes upcoming events, other ships in the area...and helicopters in the air. One of our two helos was in fact away on a mission beyond the horizon, departing with four hours' worth of fuel, so I was keeping a close eye on the time.

With a half hour left on their deadline to return and no radio contact, I contacted the captain and recommended that we turn towards the helo's supposed location. We increased speed and readied our flight deck crew while attempting to contact the pilots. The time counted down to 10 minutes when we visually spotted it coming towards us. Despite no working radio, they safely landed and shut down the engines. The pilots said they actually had reserve fuel to keep on flying longer, but that didn't save them from a stern tongue-lashing from the captain.

Depending on an endless list of variables, a million good things can happen, and a million bad things can happen. It's best not to take chances, instead giving yourself a little cushion just in case. "I returned and saw under the sun that - The race is not to the swift, Nor the battle to the strong, Nor bread to the wise, Nor riches to men of understanding, Nor favor to men of skill; But time and chance happen to them all." (Ecclesiastes 9:11)

August 5

On my first ship, there was a certain seaman that just couldn't stay out of trouble. It was never court-martial material, but he was continually sent to captain's mast for a variety of offenses. The captain eventually decided to try something different, taking the young man under his sing. He mentored him and worked to instill a new attitude, and after a time it seemed to be working well. A few months went by with no problems as the seaman had turned a personal and professional corner.

And then the young man said that he had to travel home and help his family out with a situation. He also shared that he couldn't go because of a lack of funds. And I saw my captain do something I'd never seen before, or since. He personally loaned the guy money so he could go home. Unfortunately, he stretched his leave into an unauthorized absence, to the point of being declared a deserter. Eventually, authorities returned him to the ship, and a summary court's-martial.

The captain had been overly generous with this seaman, expending personal resources in the hope that he would become a better person. How often have we done that with a second (or 202nd) chance given to us by Jesus? Take the opportunity to make it the last chance that you need. "God will hear, and afflict them, Even He who abides from of old. Because they do not change, Therefore they do not fear God." (Psalm 55:19)

August 6

I was in an Italian depot, waiting to take a train to the US Air Force base near Brindisi. I was killing the time by watching the locals go about their business and noticed a couple of deaf guys having a conversation. I walked over and introduced myself, and the three of us began to talk about soccer and other topics. At one point, the older man pulled out a card from his wallet and handed it to me. I don't know Italian, but I could make out enough to get alarmed. He was a member of the Communist Party.

I looked for a way to excuse myself from their company. Fortunately, the train arrived and I said goodbye. The Italians wanted me to sit with them, but I showed them my ticket, which (luckily) put me in a different car. That evening, when I returned to the ship, I looked for the Operations Officer and told him that I'd had contact with a communist. He listened carefully to my story and then chuckled. "Just an innocent encounter. Don't worry about it."

But for the better part of a day, I had worried about it. Yes, it was a chance meeting, but one that I would have avoided if I had known of their political leaning. I would have done better to turn it over to the Lord, rather than let it ruin my day. "Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?" (Matthew 6:27)

August 7

My family was enjoying my new assignment, which put me on shore duty for the next couple of years. The work was satisfying to me, and we all looked forward to an increase in spending time together in our favorite pursuits. Working at my desk one morning, I received an unwelcome call from my detailer in Wash, DC. He told me that a critical position in Japan had to be filled immediately and I was the guy to fill it. "Wait a minute. I just started this new job here. Are you saying that there's nobody else in the Navy that can go there?" The detailer took a step back and said that there was one other person he could call. But if he didn't want the job, then I was going.

When I got home that evening, I sat the family down and told them what might happen. They sat quietly, contemplating the possibility of moving overseas. We would have to leave most of our belongings behind, but that paled in comparison to leaving our friends and way of life. One of our boys asked, "Do they like baseball in Japan?" My wife and I smiled, and at the moment the cloud lifted as we looked forward to the possibility of life on the other side of the ocean. We actually felt a little disappointed when the transfer didn't happen.

Doors open and doors close. Even if its the latter, it's still an opportunity to serve the Lord where you're at. "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." (Romans 12:18)