Merry Christmas!

For unto us a child is born,

unto us a son is given:

and the government shall be upon his shoulder:

and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor,

The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6 (KJV)

Wishing you and yours a blessed Christmas and a joyous, healthy, and prosperous 2008!

Share some of my favorite Scriptures and prayers.

Scriptures & Prayers: PDF document of two letter-size pages, each with six Scriptures and corresponding prayers from the 1928 Book of Common Prayer side by side.

Scriptures & Prayers – Cards: PDF document of two pages to print on the front and back of business card forms (10 cards per letter-size page). One side of each card contains a Scripture and the other side contains a corresponding prayer from the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.

Praying for Peace

I found the link to Chaplain Pat McLaughlin’s Web site in this week’s Adopt-a-Chaplain e-newsletter. As you know from previous posts, I’m a supporter of Adopt-a-Chaplain.

Chaplain McLaughlin writes a weekly column: Life from the Front Row. His article for December 10, 2007 (you have to scroll down the page – individual articles aren’t linked) was profound.

Would anything happen if every Christian in the United States prayed for peace every day for the next year? That’s in excess of 200 million people praying for the same goal. …

At what point did we meet a critical mass where prayer would affect the outcome of world events? Sadly, I don’t worry about any of those scenarios of prayer and social engagement for several reasons. First of all, people aren’t very good at all about praying every day. Secondly, you couldn’t get that many Christians to agree on anything – even something as simple as peace. … They’d claim to be Christians, but not act like one for the sake of peace!

So, one year from now I’m willing to bet all my paychecks between now and then that we’ll still be at war. I firmly believe that if you could get every Christian in the United States to pray for peace every day for a year that there would definitely be a change. And here’s the gas…it wouldn’t cost any one of us the first penny to do so. In the meantime soldiers, marines, sailors, airmen, Iraqi forces, civilians of both countries will die. There is no arguing that.

… I bet you if every Christian in the United States had to walk a mile in my combat boots that they’d pray for peace and we’d have peace.

As a Christian who believes in the power of prayer, I will be praying for peace. Will you join me? May the promise of the Christmas angels of “Peace on earth, good will to men” be fulfilled with the help of our diligent prayers!

[tags]peace, Adopt-a-Chaplain[/tags]

2008 Blogging Goals? Plans, maybe …

Daily Blog Tips is running a group writing project: 2008 Blogging Goals. I debated about participating because, like Robert at Middle Zone Musings, I have neither the time nor the commitment to do what it takes to increase daily page views, subscribers, or other metrics on my blog.

My blog isn’t monetized, and, although I occasionally have someone contact me with a question about editing, I don’t recall ever getting any business through the blog. My goal has never been to make money. I’m afraid if I worked at it enough to earn an income or generate business from it, the blog would no longer be as much fun.

However, I do have plans for the coming year.

I intend to write one series each month to focus on a particular topic, as I’ve done several times in the past (see Series and Related Posts). I enjoy digging deeper into a single topic, and from the feedback I’ve got, at least some of my readers find the series helpful.

The January series will be on editing. Please leave a comment with questions you have or topics you would like to see covered. As I mentioned in my last post, conversations are a lot more fun than monologues. I don’t want to talk to myself, so let me know what you’d like to talk about – both specifics for the editing series and ideas for future series.

Beyond that, my goals are simply to continue to make friends, carry on conversations with them, and have fun!

[tags]group writing project, blogging goals[/tags]

A Milestone: Post 300

Robert Hruzek shared that he doesn’t set blogging goals. I agreed with what he said and wrote this comment:

I’m a writer who loves words, not a statistician who loves numbers.

Now, I’m going to be inconsistent and talk statistics.  Today is a milestone day, so I looked up my stats to see if the numbers match the amount of fun I’m having.

Joanna Young also just celebrated a milestone – the 1000th comment on her blog.

My milestone today is my 300th post. My first post was on June 11, 2006, a little over 18 months ago.

The 300 posts have generated 2,023 comments. At first I didn’t really understand that a blog was supposed to be a conversation, and I only received 11 comments in the first six months. Guess I learned a little something since I received more than 2000 comments in the next 12 months!

Of course, Akismet has caught more than 40,000 spam in the same time period – twenty times as many spam comments as legitimate ones! If only those were real comments …

I have a Technorati authority of 356 and ranking in the 13,000. However, that seems at odds with the traffic that Google Analytics reports: fewer than 100 visitors on most days. I’ve never got the plugin that runs all feed subscribers through Feedburner to work, so I don’t know if I have more than the dozen or so subscribers that Feedburner reports.

See, I’m confused by these statistics. I really do prefer words to numbers!

I’m not confused about this: the amount of fun I’ve had, the wonderful friends I’ve made, and the great conversations we’ve shared are immeasurable.

[tags]blog milestones[/tags]

My Blog is an Outstanding Blog … and I’m a Little Nutty

Recently I’ve been noticing incoming links from blogs I’ve never heard of. I learned that this blog is included in Troy Worman’s list of Outstanding Blogs. I don’t know who added me to the list, but thank you to whoever you are.

In the past, I included a long list of recommended blogs  because I thought the blogs might interest my readers. However, Joanna Young inspired me to reconsider. She said she never posts lists of blogs unless she has visited and can personally recommend each one. That made sense to me, and I intend to follow the same policy. I appreciate the links from this list, and I’m confident that blogs on the list are worth checking out. However, I won’t include the entire list since I’m not familiar with all the blogs on it.

Jos at NoDirectOn awarded all the Blue Ribbon Bloggers the I’m a Little Nutty Award. That may seem a little frivolous for a blog that is usually serious, and it doesn’t fit my policy of responding only when the meme/award/tag fits the them of my blog. However there’s a special reason I like being called a little nutty. My mother, who died in 2003, had a little pillow on her favorite chair for years. Embroidered on the pillow were the words: “My family tree is full of nuts.” My sister still has that pillow today in the same chair it’s been in for many years. So I had to smile at the memory of my beloved mother and appreciate this award.

100 Words Every High School Graduate Should Know

Thanks to Georganna Hancock at A Writer’s Edge for introducing me to 100 Words Every High School Graduate Should Know from the editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries.

I thought I had a pretty fair vocabulary – I usually do well on the quizzes at Free Rice, which not only helps you improve your vocabulary but also raises money to feed the hungry.

However, there were a number of words on the list of 100 words that I couldn’t easily define, but I had a general idea of their meaning. And there were a couple I didn’t know at all.

I’m embarrassed to say I didn’t remember the word orthography (one of the definitions is correct spelling – as an editor, I should certainly know that word!).

I don’t think I’ve ever heard of ziggurat. I looked it up and found a ziggurat is an ancient Babylian/Assyrian temple in the form of a pyramidal tower. I’m not quite sure why it’s among 100 words every high school graduate should know. How many ancient temples will those graduates encounter in their lifetimes?

However, the rest of the words are useful, even for those of us many, many years beyond high school graduation.

[tags]vocabulary, words, Free Rice[/tags]

Bloggers Unite in Acts of Kindness

Today Bloggers Unite in Acts of Kindness at Blog Catalog.

Bloggers are encouraged to perform acts of kindness and blog about them today.

My act of kindness was to support someone who does much more than I do. I wrote about Linda Cano’s volunteer work for Soldiers’ Angels more than a year ago. Linda has been writing letters to nearly 100 soldiers even though it’s a big sacrifice for her. She has health issues, but she took a part-time job so she could afford to pay postage, buy items to send the soldiers … and even rent a computer. Yes, she has been renting a computer just to support our troops!

In the past, I was able to help Linda by introducing her to a friend who gave Linda money for postage. I wrote about that experience in Catalyst: God’s Tool.

Recently, my husband and I were able to support Linda in her support of the troops. We bought her a laptop so she can use the money she’s been spending on renting a computer on postage and more goodies for the troops.

Our act of kindness was small compared to all that Linda does for the troops through Soldiers’ Angels. But we are blessed that we could help her do even more.

You can find links to other posts about acts of kindness at Bloggers Unite. If you’re reading this on Monday, December 17, you can participate. If you’re reading this later … it’s never do late to do an act of kindness!

[tags]acts of kindness, bloggers unite, Soldiers’ Angels, support our troops[/tags]

Thank You: The Gratitude Campaign

As a follow-up to my post on Adopt-a-Chaplain, I wanted to mention another campaign to show support for our troops that requires no money and little effort.

 The Gratitude Campaign encourages people to thank our troops when you see them in an airport or anywhere with a simple gesture – a sign that means “thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

Most of us are somewhat uncomfortable approaching strangers, and verbal contact is sometimes awkward. However, by making this simple gesture, you can express your gratitude without the awkwardness of a personal encounter.

You don’t have to limit the sign to military troops. You can use it to thank anyone serving others.

Christmas is a time to recognize our many blessings and to thank those who bless our lives. Thank you to my friends and readers who make writing this blog so rewarding and fun.

[tags]Gratitude Campaign, support our troops[/tags]

Supporting Our Troops Through the Chaplains Who Serve Them

Babylune’s Generous December Group Writing Project calls for participants to

write a new post about your favorite charity, social cause or helpful organization. … Tell me, and our readers, why you believe your special organizations are helping to make the world a better place. Tell us why you support them and why we should too.

I support a number of charities and causes I believe in, and my own church – All Saints Anglican in San Antonio, Texas – is at the top of the list. However, the church is, and should be, supported by its members. For the group writing project, I selected a charity that depends on donations by the general public, that uses donations wisely and efficiently, and that provides an important and valuable service: Adopt-a-Chaplain (AAC).

I learned about this organization from my friend Fr. Jerry Sherbourne. Fr. Jerry came to All Saints as a seminary student. He served as a layreader until he was ordained, first as a deacon then later as a priest. He was rector of All Saints until he felt called by God to serve Him as a military chaplain. Although we miss Fr. Jerry, we know our country and our soldiers are blessed to have him in the military.

When he was stationed in Iraq, he and the troops were supported by a variety of organizations, including our church and several troop support organizations, and all the support was appreciated. But Fr. Jerry said this about Adopt-a-Chaplain in a quote on the organization’s Web site:

They pray for me and my unit – not only for safety, etc., but also for God’s blessing as I prepare my sermons, and preach and reach out through special events. They take special requests and will go out of their way to find us what we need – whether it’s a comfort item or something for ministry. They even sent my wife some cookies and helped with a tax question from a couple years ago! And they don’t ask much, if anything, in return. They’ve been a great blessing to me. They support chaplains of any religious tradition (they figure they’ll let God sort out the details).

Fr. Jerry introduced me to Ben Ferguson, who is one of the organizers and volunteers of Adopt-a-Chaplain. Ben was working on a book, and Fr. Jerry recommended me as an editor. He also told me what a blessing Adopt-a-Chaplain had been to him and his unit. Although Ben’s excellent book is nearly finished, he has put the book aside to focus on Adopt-a-Chaplain, which is run 100% by volunteers, with no administrative costs at all. All donations are used to purchase items for the chaplains and the troops and to pay for postage, their largest expense by far. According to the Adopt-a-Chaplain Web site :

Adopt-a-Chaplain is a Christ-centered ministry, the only national charity that exclusively serves deployed chaplains. Our goals: to provide prayer and spiritual support for the chaplains themselves and to provide tangible support that will enable chaplains to more effectively minister to the soldiers they serve.

Ben told me a little about how the organization got started with two questions. In December 2004, Dan Hoebeke received an e-mail from a friend who had been writing to a chaplain in Afghanistan. The chaplain was having some personal struggles. The email contained the first question: “Dan, you’re a religious guy. Would you write to him?”

The second question was from Dan to the chaplain: “Is there anything we can get for you to help with your ministry?”

Dan and his wife sent the first box of comfort foods out on January 15, 2005. That led to introduction to more chaplains, and Dan shared the needs with his men’s group. The program expanded to his church, then to nearby churches, and eventually to affiliates from 40 states.

In reading what chaplains say about Adopt-a-Chaplain, I am struck by two things:

1. Soldiers may be reluctant to visit the chaplains to discuss spiritual concerns or ask for counseling because they don’t want to look weak. However, they’ll stop by the chaplain’s office for some homemade cookies, and while they’re there, they’ll share their concerns. One chaplain describes this as giving the soldiers a “cover story” for visiting the chaplain.
2. Chaplains bear the responsibility of taking care of the spiritual needs of the troops in the unit, but who takes care of the chaplains? They need prayer and support as much as the soldiers. AAC fills that need and also supports the families of deployed chaplains.

AAC currently supports about 110 chaplains on the ground in the Middle East (about two-third of deployed chaplains) and has about 20 more who have made contact and are in the process of final training or in transit. Box #10,000 was mailed November 8, 2007.

Ben says:

We have no staff or office overhead. Everything is done by volunteers. One member’s garage is the warehouse and packing headquarters. 100% of donations that come in go to the troops and their needs. We have never had any fundraisers or sought chaplains. Both money and chaplains come to us.

In an email, one chaplain told a friend, “These aren’t just box senders. If we ask for jerky we get jerky.”

Each box has a response card asking what they need or don’t need. Mailing cards is free from war zones. The card also has my email address if they need something quickly. Between the post cards and emails, we probably hear from about 75% of the chaplains that we ship to each week.

The responses are taken by Gary Campbell, a retired engineer, who does a packing spreadsheet with many, many columns indicating what their exposure level is and what they’re asking for each week. Packers take the list and custom pack each box.

We’ll likely hit Box #12,000 by the end of December or soon thereafter. What makes it possible is we have affiliate groups from around the country who take responsibility for meeting the needs of one or more of our chaplains and their families. We know the religious background of each chaplain and do our best to match them with groups of similar backgrounds.

A pastor once asked me where the money came from for all of what we are doing. I told him I didn’t know (actually I was being facetious) but when we needed $810.00 to ship 100 boxes, the money was always there. When we finished packing on Thursday and the shelves were bare, some wanted to know if we should come next week. The next week, supplies had been replenished, and we have always had enough to ship. I tell people it’s a modern day illustration of Elijah’s oil and meal. God resupplies what we need.

The best part from my perspective is they call me our “chaplain to our chaplains” since I do virtually 100% of the communications with them. At times a chaplain will hit an emotional wall and need someone he can yell at, release some pent up frustrations, or just be himself/herself. They know they can talk to me and not worry about it being spread around.

AAC has served as a distribution point for a number of organizations’ donations to the troops:

• 27,500 phone cards from Justin Boots
• 10,000 under-armor shirts from AMVETS in IL
• 28,000 Casting Crowns CDs
• 750,000 thank-you letters sponsored by Buick
• Spiritual Tool Kit provided by Zondervan Publishers for 125 deployed chaplains
• Underwriting to send up to 500,000 Psalm 91 books and bandanas to our chaplains for their troops
• 22,000 books donated by a Barnes & Noble store in TN
• Barnes & Noble partnership with America Supports You to donate 5% of online donations to seven troop support organizations, of which AAC is one

Kate Baggott at Babylune asks how the organization is making the world a better place, why I support it, and why you should support it too.

• Whether you approve of our soldiers being in Afghanistan or Iraq or not, they are there risking their lives for us and our country. They certainly deserve to be remembered and shown that we appreciate their sacrifices.
• If anyone needs spiritual support, it’s soldiers at war. The physical danger, the emotional trauma of war, and the separation from family added to the normal stresses of life make prayer and support vitally important. Spiritually healthy soldiers will make wiser decisions in crisis situations.
• Chaplains in a war zone serve the troops, but normally no one cares for their needs. Chaplains have the same human needs and weaknesses as the rest of us, and they need prayer, support, and encouragement to be able to do their jobs effectively.
• AAC supports the troops through the chaplains who serve them 100% with volunteers and without overhead costs. In three years, Adopt-a-Chaplain has shipped nearly 12,000 boxes of goodies to 233 chaplains, indirectly ministering to more than 200,000 soldiers without spending a penny on administration or promotion. I think that’s an amazing record!
• The most common request from chaplains is for prayer. All of us who are believers can pray. It seems so little, but it means so much. The tangible packages are important to bring a little pleasure into the lives of the men and women who are defending us, but the prayers are even more important. I encourage you to support AAC financially, but, more than that, I encourage you to support our troops and the chaplains who serve them with your prayers.

I am blessed to know both the “chaplain to the chaplain” in AAC and a chaplain who has received support from the organization, and I know AAC is making the world a better place.

[tags]Generous December Writing Project, Adopt-a-Chaplain[/tags]

Christian Carnival

Christian Carnival CCII is posted at Lo-Fi Tribe. You’ll find thought-provoking posts on a variety of Christian topics.

I failed to post last week’s carnival because I had a computer crash and was offline for a few days. Though I’m late posting the link, it’s not too late to read the posts hosted at The Thinking Christian.

If you’re interested in Christian thought, I recommend you visit these two carnivals.

[tags]Christian carnival[/tags]

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