Category Archives: The Navigators

Hospitality, Old Friends, and Remembering

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Monday I received a text message from an old friend, Larry, who is a Navigator at Wright Patterson Air Force base near Dayton, OH (He’s the one on the far left in the photo). He said he was going to stop by and see my young daughter Anna and maybe grab dinner on his way back from Atlanta. Well… what would have taken him  45 minutes, turned into 2.5 hours Odyssey throughout the backwoods of Kentucky in a thunderstorm. Larry survived and ended up spending the night.

There is something about returning to old friendships that awakes the sleeping parts of souls to the our present memories. Hospitality allows us to invite old friends not only into our houses, but into our lives again . Like the Old Testament Prophets calling ancient Israel to remember the Exodus, old friends have a way of prophetically calling us back to remember our past accomplishments, desires, spiritual growth and gifts, and zeal to serve the Lord.

Are You a F.A.T. Disciple?

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I was a year into living the Christian witness when I transferred to Wright Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio. After 10 months of intense mentoring and training by a Navigator in Florida, I was now faced with a base that at the time did not have a Navigator missionary on staff. It was during this time I was sharing a meal with a new friend who was discipled by my former mentor in Florida.

In one of our first meetings he called me a FAT disciple… I never heard that before. When I heard it I thought, “Phat”? What’s this guy playing at? Is he trying to spit slang ?” He obviously noticed my glazed over eyes at his comment, and with a smile said, “You know… F-A-T. – Faithful. Available. Teachable. The qualities in a disciple of Christ.”

Looking back at this story now, I can honestly tell you  that at the end of a tour as an M.Div. student at Asbury Theological Seminary, I am still very F.A.T.! I am called to be faithful both the “head and heart” knowledge and experiences that I have been PRIVILEGED to learn. I am still very much available to be mentored and to mentor. Finally, I humbly report that I have failed to live up to the standards of the name of my degree, Master of Divinity. I have not mastered the divine and am still very teachable by God’s Spirit, Word, and Church.

So… Ph.D.s, senior Pastors, priests, missionaries, Seminarians, social activists and writers .. have you managed to keep your weight on? Have you remained F.A.T.?