Theologian Walter Brueggemann is known for his framework for understanding the Psalms. He believes that you can see three movements present in various psalms and each describes the way the psalmist is relating to God in that particular expression. The framework is: orientation, disorientation, and re-orientation. For a familiar example of all three in a single psalm, consider Psalm 23.
The year 2020 has felt a lot like Brueggemann’s framework for the Psalms. The year started off with a busy bang. I came out of the holidays and sprinted directly into a battalion field training exercise. These FTX’s are a prime time for Chaplains as units are freed from the day to day responsibilities of garrison life and are able to focus on training. Some of the best ministry and best conversations happen in the field.
February was a busy month. I jetted off to Orange County, California for the annual Southern Baptist Chaplain Professional Development Training. These annual events are highlights of the year for me. They provide an opportunity for fellowship and for connecting with new and old acquaintances. I also love the location. I grew up in Washington state so any opportunity to come to the West Coast and see the ocean feels a bit like coming home.
Shortly after returning from California, I was on a plane again. This time heading to South Carolina for two weeks to attend the Chaplain Captain Career Course. My class of 50 or so Chaplains was the first recent group to use the Reserve Component hybrid model of online classes followed by a two week intensive. Normally, C4 is a six-month PCS but we crammed as much as we could into two weeks and called it good. It was a busy couple of weeks. The highlight was meeting new Chaplains. The actual coursework…well…the instructors did their best trying to distill six months’ worth of instruction into two weeks.
And then…the rona happened. Talk about disorientation. Everything locked down. We didn’t know what we didn’t know. The usual rhythms of PT and work were tossed out the window. Church moved online. I scrambled to repurpose photography and podcasting equipment to record and release regular videos on Facebook and YouTube in order to have regular touchpoints with my unit. I did an entire devotional series on the key days of Holy Week as we were locked down.
The disorientation continued as our family worked through a process of counseling that required us to learn, stretch, and try to figure out new and healthier patterns. I won’t go into a lot of details, but counseling and working through past trauma as a family have provided us with some of the toughest conversations we’ve had but have also flung open the doors to deeper healing and understanding that would have been impossible had we not walked through the disorientation. This process is ongoing but the work done in the midst of the stress and unknowns of COVID-19 leaves us better equipped to face future challenges.
So what about re-orientation? Somewhere in the middle of all the craziness in the spring, new leadership in the unit in the early summer, and discovering a “new normal” in a COVID-19 world, things started to click. Don’t hear me wrong, that’s not to say everything was magically perfect or better, but rather than staying in disorientation, we moved toward re-orientation.
For me, re-orientation looked like leaning into the world of social media as a ministry-enhancing tool. What was forced on me by COVID, became a regular part of my work week. Now, in a typical week, I’ll release a “Friday Closeout” video that is devotional and religious in nature and a “Midweek Moment” video where I typically talk about general life skills, leadership, and good decision-making. These videos do take extra time to think through, record, edit, and release, but it is 100% worth it to have a Soldier come up and say, “Hey Chaplain, saw your video the other day and I really appreciated it.”
For our family, we did our best to safely make the most of the challenges of COVID. We made some trips to Enchanted Rock to hike. We went to Galveston for a few days after Labor Day to try and avoid large crowds. Birthdays and Thanksgiving were all small, family affairs but cakes were made and delicious food abounded. Through it all, we were thankful that my job provided the stability of steady pay and benefits which is not something every American experienced.
This year also saw tremendous progress in my Doctor of Ministry Program. I successfully completed four seminars and will start my dissertation seminar early next year. The doctoral program has added an immense amount of work to my life but has also broadened my horizons. I’ve been pushed to think harder and deeper about theology, philosophy, and ethics. A professor encouraged us, rather than writing a final paper, to instead attempt to memorize a large chunk of Scripture. I attempted the Sermon on The Mount. While I fell short of perfection, the practice of spending months immersed in the text of the SOTM was transformational. Some examples of my doctoral writing can be found in the “Professional Writing” portion of this website for those looking for something to help put them to sleep.
Finally, I continued to shoot film this year and have enjoyed the process of shooting rolls and then sending them off to see what surprises await when the scans are returned. It has been fun rediscovering film and I look forward to continuing to shoot film in 2021.
2021 promises to be another packed year. We think we know where the Army is sending us next and it’s a pretty incredible opportunity. For me, the goal is to finish my time at Fort Hood strong and continue the momentum built-in 2020. For a year that started with a bang and then many times felt disoriented, we go into 2021 with a new, and hopefully, healthier and more Christ-focused orientation. I’m sure 2021 will have its own cycles of orientation, disorientation, and re-orientation but, for now, I’m grateful to put 2020 in the rearview and press forward into 2021.