Today I was able to be among fellow soldiers in the Midwest and teach classes required of us each year.
As I pulled into the location where the training was to occur, it was early, the temperature was well below freezing, and the whitetail deer were grazing the scarce green forage visible in the training area. Geese swam out away from where I parked the rental vehicle I was driving, and I followed the path to the classroom.
Shortly thereafter, soldiers from the unit began to arrive and they helped me set up the tables, chairs, etc. for the training. The staff at the facility were super-friendly and helpful, and soon we had begun. I could smell the fresh coffee brewing in the lobby and I had no technical/IT issues with my computer (my abiding specter as a Luddite).
I don’t understand why bucolic scenes (like the one above) move my soul the ways they do, but for me, peaceful scenes like what I drove in among this morning across the Big Blue River, and seeing the deer hunt for food, and watching the geese paddle across the pond, and watching the sun rise behind the trees and fall upon the water, and to be able to teach and minister to fellow soldiers, it just doesn’t get much better for me.
Thankful for days like this and the opportunities presented therein.
MIND & MATTERS 
Yes Jon, I can understand and appreciate the scenes you told about, I have the same feeling of ambience when I drive from my home to MZBC and get to sit under Dr. Quentin’s tutelage then the awesome privilege of hearing you expound on any section of scripture which guides us to a deeper understanding of God’s Word. I can imagine how the soldiers feel when they leave one of your sessions. I wonder if they appreciate and love you as much as the people in Adult 9.
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Thank you as always for your kind words. We are kindred spirits. Today’s soldiers are generally inconsistent in their worldviews, “all over the map,” as the saying goes. But some of them do see the formidable evidence and ridiculousness of secularism. Some appreciate truth-tellers; others do not. But I’ll keep working hard at it until my time’s up. Hopefully persistence pays off. See you soon, dear brother.
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Enjoy this remarkable opportunity to bless others while they and you are far from home. I had the opportunity to do the same for Soldiers from our common command at two training areas in the Midwest before I retired. For one of them, I had to drive across two “Big Blue Rivers.” For the other, I simply had to drive about ten miles from my house. Both encounters refreshed my spirit as I interacted with men and women searching for purpose and meaning. Keep praying hard and preaching (and teaching required courses) well with love.
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I can wholeheartedly relate. Last year around this time I took a new job in Blue Ridge. The commute is long, but seeing the sunrise over the mountains every morning makes it seem like a short trip around the block. It speaks to me in a way that I struggle to communicate to others. Pictures don’t do it justice. It must be experienced to be shared. To me, it’s an obvious revelation of a creator and a constant reminder to me that He is Lord of all.
PLUS, I learned a new word ‘bucolic’. “ Relating to the pleasant aspects of the countryside and country life.” Thanks for that.
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