God’s Full of Surprises

On Ash Wednesday, I was commissioned as a Navy chaplain in the reserves, marking the end of a year of surprising and, at times, confounding discernment!  Though I grew up in San Diego, I hadn’t had many direct connections to the military. And when I first received a call from a Navy recruiter a year ago, I wasn’t inclined to stay on the phone for long. But then I heard more about how the reserves work (two days a month and two weeks a year normally) and how a chaplain offers one of the few spaces of confidential conversation for servicemembers, and this God of surprises started to work on me.  I’ve come to look forward to the opportunity to care for servicemembers and their families and provide for their worship the best that I can. And the wonderful part is that I will still continue serving at St. Luke’s as a co-pastor alongside my wife, Laurel!  I admit that I don’t fully understand what I’m getting into — anyone who has tried to follow God’s call faithfully knows this feeling — but I trust that Jesus will walk beside me, my family, and my church through it.  If you have any questions about this experience, do reach out to me at colin@stlukesnorthpark.org.