For a gardener, like myself, March is an in-between month. The dried, gray-brown stalks on the oak leaf hydrangea, left over from last autumn, stand at attention, like a proud, old war veteran in his outdated, ill-fitting military uniform. And like a Continue Reading
March 2, 2013
Walking the Tight Rope Between Reserve Chaplaincy and the Pastorate
I trust the following question and answer about chaplain ministry and the local pastorate will provide some opportunity for prayerful reflection by those considering the call. Dear Dr. Milton: May I ask you a question about the chaplaincy? The biggest Continue Reading
April 16, 2012
Ministering Personally to Minister Pastorally
I am arriving at Fort Jackson this evening. Tomorrow morning I will join with the cadre at the United States Army Chaplain Center and School to give support and instruction for mid-career chaplains. There's something that I want to say; something that is Continue Reading
April 9, 2012 1 Comment
I Will Not Let Go of Easter
I will not let go of Easter. More properly, I affirm that the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is not something that I will celebrate and remember on one day of the year. In the Reformed faith, that is in the Protestant faith of Martin Luther and John Calvin Continue Reading
July 18, 2011 Leave a Comment
“It’s a Growing Time”—Resting in God before Running in Ministry: A Convocation Message for the US Army Chaplain Center and School, Fort Jackson, SC
Your need this Convocation. All of us do. Convocation is quite simply an assembly that has a purpose (though some convocation events that I have been to which are merely prescribed ceremonies announcing a new school year, or something else—and there is Continue Reading
January 28, 2011
“LIVING THE DREAM, SIR!” Three Things that Keep Ministry (and the Military Chaplaincy) Moving Forward
I am on chaplain duty today. I am ministering at the US Army Chaplain Center and School. I came to instruct, to give my testimony of why I continue to balance the life of civilian ministry: as a seminary chancellor elect, a professor and preacher, and the Continue Reading
November 7, 2010 Leave a Comment
A Delayed Salvation
“who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time" (1 Peter 1:5). A friend came by the other day to talk about salvation. Those who characterize themselves as unbelievers may find this strange, but Continue Reading
September 25, 2010
Sermon – The Sacred Cycle of Ministry | Preaching.com
A Sermon given to a chaplain conference sponsored by the Chief of Chaplains' College on Military Preaching now published on Preaching Journal: Sermon - The Sacred Cycle of Ministry | Preaching.com. Continue Reading
Grace in the Trenches: Chaplains on the Front Lines of the Repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
The senior chaplain came to me for counseling, struggling with how he would face the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT). I put my hand on his shoulder and looked him square in the eyes, "Chaplain, this nation needs you to stand strong for your Continue Reading