Friday Mornings at the Pentagon

By JOSEPH L. GALLOWAY McClatchy Newspapers (May 23, 2007)
Over the last 12 months, 1,042 soldiers, Marines, sailors and Air Force personnel have given their lives in the terrible duty that is war. Thousands more have come home on stretchers, horribly wounded and facing months or years in military hospitals.

This week, I'm turning my space over to a good friend and former roommate, Army Lt. Col. Robert Bateman , who recently completed a year-long tour of duty in Iraq and is now back at the Pentagon.

Here is Lt. Col. Bateman's account of a little-known ceremony that  fills the halls of the Army corridor of the Pentagon with cheers, applause and many tears every Friday morning.  It first appeared on May 17 on the Weblog of media critic and pundit Eric Alterman at the Media Matters for America Website.

"It is 110 yards from the "E" ring to the "A" ring of the Pentagon. This section of the Pentagon is newly renovated; the floors shine, the hallway is broad, and the lighting is bright.

At this instant the entire length of the corridor is packed with officers, a few sergeants and some civilians, all crammed tightly three and four deep against the walls. There are thousands here.

 This hallway, more than any other, is the `Army' hallway. The G3 offices line one side, G2 the other, G8 is around the corner. All Army.
Moderate conversations flow in a low buzz. Friends who may not have seen each other for a few weeks, or a few years, spot each other, cross the way and renew.

Everyone shifts to ensure an open path remains down the center. The air conditioning system was not designed for this press of bodies in this area.

The temperature is rising already. Nobody cares.
 "10:36 hours: The clapping starts at the E-Ring.

That is the outermost of the five rings of the Pentagon and it is closest to the entrance to the building. This clapping is low, sustained, hearty.

It is applause with a deep emotion behind it as it moves forward in a wave down the length of the hallway.

 "A steady rolling wave of sound it is, moving at the pace of the soldier in the wheelchair who marks the forward edge with his presence.

He is the first. He is missing the greater part of one leg, and some of
his wounds are still suppurating. By his age I expect that he is a private, or perhaps a private first class.

"Captains, majors, lieutenant colonels and colonels meet his gaze and nod as they applaud, soldier to soldier. Three years ago when I described one of these events, those lining the hallways were somewhat different. The applause a little wilder, perhaps in private guilt for not having shared in the burden, yet.

 "Now almost everyone lining the hallway is, like the man in the wheelchair, also a combat veteran. This steadies the applause, but I think deepens the sentiment. We have all been there now. The soldier's chair is pushed by, I believe, a full colonel.

 "Behind him, and stretching the length from Rings E to A, come more of his peers, each private, corporal, or sergeant assisted as need be by a field grade officer.

 "11:00 hours: Twenty-four minutes of steady applause. My hands hurt, and I laugh to myself at how stupid that sounds in my own head. My hands hurt. Please! Shut up and clap.

For twenty-four minutes, soldier after soldier has come down this hallway - 20, 25, 30. Fifty-three legs come with them, and perhaps only 52 hands or arms, but down this hall came 30 solid hearts.

They pass down this corridor of officers and applause, and then meet for a private lunch, at which they are the guests of honor, hosted by the generals. Some are wheeled along. Some insist upon getting out of their chairs, to march as best they can with their chin held up, down this hallway, through this most unique audience. Some are catching handshakes and smiling like a politician at a Fourth of July parade.

More than a couple of them seem amazed and are smiling shyly.

 "There are families with them as well: the 18-year-old war-bride pushing her 19-year-old husband's wheelchair and not quite understanding why her husband is so affected by this, the boy she grew up with, now a man, who had never shed a tear is crying; the older immigrant Latino parents who have, perhaps more than their wounded mid-20s son, an appreciation for the emotion given on their son's behalf.

No man in that hallway, walking or clapping, is ashamed by the silent tears on more than a few cheeks. An Airborne Ranger wipes his eyes only to better see.

A couple of the officers in this crowd have themselves been a part of this parade in the past. These are our men, broken in body they may be, but they are our brothers, and we welcome them home.

This parade has gone on, every single Friday, all year long, for more than four years.

Tale of Two Lies

Many of us have thought to ourselves, “If God would take care of my needs I would be able to make a total commitment to Him.” Or we may have thought, “If my environment was better, I would be able to serve God with all my heart.”

I call this the Tale of Two Lies. I have to admit that at one time I believed those thoughts, too. But if you ever come to the place where you’re ready to stop playing games and kidding with yourself, you’ll have to admit that having all your needs met and having a perfect environment won’t change what’s in your heart.

The first man and woman were placed in a perfect environment and absolutely all of their needs were met. In spite of both of those factors, satan still was able to deceive the woman, and the man willfully disobeyed God.

Many years ago, when I was youth pastor, I presented the story of mankind’s fall in a modern setting. I asked everyone: “What if someone gave you a limitless credit card, you don’t have to pay the bill, they placed you in a gigantic shopping mall, gave you permission to shop in any store in the mall with the exception of one store; what would you do?” This was the situation for the first man and woman.

Yet, the woman listened to that slick-talking salesman who approached her about shopping in the one forbidden store named KOGAE (Knowledge of Good and Evil). He convinced her to ignore the fact that she had hundreds, if not thousands, of other stores in which to shop. He got her to focus on the one place that was forbidden.

He got her to question why God would not allow her in that store. After shopping in the store, she invited the man inside as well. So even though all their needs were met and even though they were in a perfect world, they still chose to go after what belonged to God.

So it is clear that the real battle is within us. Will you and I continue to listen to the enticement of the enemy? He’s still using the same old lines: “God is holding out on you. Why is He keeping you from this one thing? Could it be that if you partake of this one thing, you’ll discover that you don’t need Him? What good is all the things that God has already provided for you, if there is still something out there that you can’t have?”

These are the same lies that have devastated mankind for centuries. However, I'm praying that the Urban Life Church family has chosen to turn our hearts TO God. I'm praying that we will push aside the lies and choose to trust God because HE desires to do something great within us. I pray that we will desire to do something great for Him.

Here in America, over the past 30-40 years, people have been taught and trained to believe that the only purpose for believing in God or any higher power is so that whatever deity we pray to, will help us achieve our goals and dreams. So millions of Americans only seek a higher power to help them have personal success. Unfortunately, the same philosophy resides in many church assemblies where Christian believers seek God ONLY for what He can do for them. To update the statement of a famous U.S. president, “Ask not what God can do for you, but ask what you can do for God.”

That’s because GOD has already done the most awesome thing that can be done for anyone. He laid down His life for us. Worship artist Kelly Willard once wrote, “God so loved the world that He gave. He gave and gave. He still gives today. And the only thing He came to take away was our sin, so we could all begin to love this way.”

I want us to love God so much, that all we want to do is offer our lives to Him in exchange. That’s what our weekly session is about. This is not another one of those churches that will teach you the ten steps to get rich and famous and the five things you can do to move God’s hand in your favor. No, no, no! We will not teach principles of manipulation and witchcraft.

Our heart’s cry is, “Have thine own way Lord, Have thine own way. Thou art the potter, I am the clay. Mold me and make me, after thy will; while I am waiting, yielded and still.”

So we’re not seeking a higher power just to gain personal success. We’re not chasing our empty fantasies. Our souls follow hard after the Lord.

I see our weekly sessions as a church family that gathers to pray and seek the face of the Lord. No one has to entertain them and pump them up emotionally in order to get them to praise and worship the Lord. The cares of this life and the deceitfulness of riches will no longer choke the Word of God and prevent it from flowing in our hearts and lives. I see a people who will do something great for God. That’s because the people who know their God will do exploits.

In Perilous Times

In Mark 13: 9b, Jesus said, "…And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows."

In Matthew 24:7b-8 it reads: "…And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows."

But Jesus also says, in Matthew 24:14, "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come."

One cannot help but think of these scriptural references about the end times because so much is happening. Paul, in his letter to Timothy, wrote: "But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come." (2 Timothy 3:1)

The word perilous had a multitude of meanings. They included such definitions as fierce, harsh and dangerous. However some of the definitions that caught our attention were ‘hard to bear’, ‘hard to take’ and ‘hard to approach’. We think those phrases truly describe this season. These are times that are really hard to bear, hard to take, and hard to approach. Yet, we’re in it now and we need the wisdom of God in order to live triumphantly in the midst of so much pain and loss.

Paul gave Timothy the way to handle perilous times and we just want to pass that reminder on to you today. He wrote: "But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them." (2 Timothy 3:14) 

Take courage, family. Don’t panic and don’t sink into despair.

Now is the time to really go for it in God. Just continue in what you have already learned.

When Peter was coming to the end of his life, he wrote: "But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. And above all things have fervent love for one another, for ‘love will cover a multitude of sins.’ Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever." (1 Peter 4: 7-11)

And that’s what we’re going to do family:
· Be sober and watchful in prayer
· Have fervent love for one another
· Be hospitable (without grumbling)
· Minister our gifts to one another

As we’ve told you many times before, this is not the Chris and Carol show. Nothing would bring us greater joy than to see this Body of Believers moving in maturity and power, where our gifts are going forth, backed up by lives of integrity and Godly character.

Yes, we are in perilous times, but this is not the time to give up. This is the time to step into your purpose and calling. Remember, we’re not building a great ministry that does special things for people. We’re building special people who will do great things for God.

Don’t shrink back because you feel that you’re not worthy, able or ready. Already, most of you can see things about the ministry that need to improve or can be done more efficiently. Well, you can’t wait for Chris and Carol to fix it, or make it better. The reason you see the areas that need to improve could be because YOU are the person who is supposed to step up and minister your gift.

Many, many people sit back and complain about all the things that need to change or improve in their church, yet they never offer their gifts to bring about that change. We feel that they don’t have the right to criticize or complain if they don’t do something about it.

Of course we realize that some of you are coming from places where you may have offered your gift, but it was thwarted. In this season at Urban Life, we’re presenting the opportunity for you to help build people. We're calling you forth to present your gifts of help, hospitality, administration, creativity and more. It’s time to minister your gifts to one another. Some have sat under our teaching for more than a year and now it’s time to move beyond sitting and receiving, to standing and giving. Are you ready family?