Food for the Soul, Not the Sweet Tooth (by Pastor Roy Williamson)

Rachel McGinness June 8th 2012 No comments yet  

On Memorial Day I received an email from my oldest son, Martin, who is the First Sergeant of the 94th Combat Support Hospital deployed to Khost, Afghanistan.  Among other things, he mentioned a recent visit from the Brigade Chaplain team:

“Come to find out, our chaplains are Evangelical (one is Baptist). They confirmed what I have seen and felt, that the troops are doing fine without the candy . . . people send in care boxes.  What the soldiers hunger for is books and literature, Christian and leadership stuff.  I think it would be cool if Stonebriar could help support our chaplains–[with] some books or pamphlets that could be sent…”

I made email contact with the chaplains and asked what materials they are in need of.  They sent a list of the books they cannot keep on their shelves because the troops take them, read them, and share them.  Here is the list they gave:

By Pastor Chuck Swindoll:

          Hope for Troubled Times

          Intimacy with the Almighty

          Getting Through the Tough Stuff

          Hope Again

          Laugh Again: Experience Outrageous Joy

          Marriage: From Surviving to Thriving

          Parenting: From Surviving to Thriving

          Living on the Ragged Edge

          Man to Man

          The Strong Family

          The Rising Hope

          Why God? Calming Words for Chaotic Times

 

By Steve Farrar:

           Point Man

          Anchor Man

          King Me

 

          Tender Warrior by Stu Weber

         Winning With People by John C. Maxwell

         No More Excuses by Tony Evans

         Wild At Heart by John Eldredge

By Gary and Barbara Rosberg:

           The 5 Love Needs

          The 5 Sex Needs of Men and Women

          Healing the Hurt in Your Marriage

          10 Great Dates to Energize Your Marriage by David and Claudia Arp

The list tells us tons about what concerns the troop –not the adventures of Archie and Jughead, but the real life issues of marriage, family, and dealing with pressure situations.  They want biblical nourishment for the soul, not just candy for the sweet tooth.  This war is not being fought by 18 and 19-year old boys fresh out of high school, but by men and women in their late twenties and thirties for whom “family” includes the next generation, not just the current or previous.  By providing the Word, we can help to minister to their needs. 

Here’s my request: please look through your libraries and collections and see if you have any of these titles that you are willing to part with.  If we can get five copies of each book, the chaplains will have at least one book for each of the medical units they minister to in eastern Afghanistan. Please drop them off in my office or put them in my box.  I will make sure that they get to Afghanistan. 

Thank you for considering this request. 

For more information, or to find out where you can drop books off, email Pastor Roy at royw@stonebriar.org.

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