jon d wilke's blog

I Shook the Hands of Men

On Saturday, I shook the hands of men.

Despite the doom, gloom and boom on the 24-hour news networks, despite all the paralyzing fear and worry and despite the efforts of lunatic jihadists, they all came home. Thirty-four heroes returned home Saturday after a 15-month-long deployment to the war-ravaged city of Baghdad. The soldiers of C. Co., 2/123d Armor, the small National Guard unit here, were nearly hugged, kissed and applauded to death by the small community of Benton, Ky., again.

No more sand, no more bunks and no more worries about ambushes, IEDs or snipers. Again, Benton's small town streets were lined with hundreds of familiar faces, American flags, homemade banners and happy children.

I was proud of these men again. They had left their lives and their loved ones to cross the Atlantic Ocean and fight the war on terror again. These courageous Americans witnessed first-hand the clash of civilizations and the struggle for democracy again.

And again I felt the overwhelming flood of newness, hope and gratitude that only deployed troops know.

Nearly six years ago, I deployed as a sergeant with these "weekend warriors," most of whom were just awkward boys, quick to talk about their high school days, dream cars and favorite baseball players. One guy, who I'd rather not name, was the company goof-off, the boy of the boys. And although you didn't know whether to laugh or blush at his jokes, you always knew he needed to grow up. Another was a part-time-working pot smoker with the worst mouth on anyone I'd ever met. His incessant and excessive cursing was both embarrassing and hilarious. And his well-known marijuana habit was demotivating and the subject of many jokes.

With a big smile and a firm handshake, I walked around welcoming home "Charlie" company. Those who shook back were not the goofy boys I once knew who guzzled German hefeweisen and shouted drunken obscenities down cobblestone streets. Those boys lived lifetimes ago. These men now had mature glares, confidence, presence and unspoken knowledge of weightier matters. The company goof-off was now a purple heart recipient; his Humvee was rocked by an IED, and he lost part of his right hand. He now shook with his left hand and with an awareness that life at home would be different now.  And the loudmouth pot-head was now a quiet, commanding sergeant with clear career goals and Visine-white eyes.

On Saturday, I didn't shake the hands of boys I once knew; on Saturday, I shook the hands of men I'd never met.

The Power of Words

Just this morning I was thinking about all the talking and words and blah, blah, blahs we hear these days.  I thought, "Words are so powerless now; they're just words." 

But then I thought about God's words.  They are powerful and active, and they build faith.  Romans 10:17 says, "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God."

The enemy has used words to question God, tempt Jesus and accuse mankind.  God has used his Word to build faith, plant hope in the human heart and speak truth in a world of watered-down, meaningless words.

Authentic Men Must Have Purpose

Everyone wants to know "Why am I here? Why am I on Earth?" 

Authentic men have that figured out.  They know what they were meant to do and they do it with passion.  Not everything and everyone is all about having more money or more sex.  (Seth Godin wrote about this today.)

Let's look at Jesus.  The guy lived a beautiful life, passing along truth and hope to the world.  And some 2000 years later, His actions and words are still making a difference in peoples' lives.  (I'm a piece of walking evidence that He still changes lives.) 

Jesus knew His purpose.  He is the ultimate authentic man.

Many times He said things like, "For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many (Matthew 20)," and "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance (Luke 5)," and "For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me (John 6)."

He died with nothing -- not even a pair of underwear.  Jesus wasn't about money.  He didn't lead the greatest grassroots/ideavirus movement in history for money.  He didn't die on the cross for cash.  He did it for you.

And no matter what the Discovery Channel says, He didn't have any affairs with women.  Jesus stood beside -- and behind -- a first century prostitute so others would stop judging her.  Then He gave her an invitation to live life as God intended, not an invitation to a bedroom.  You know, He had just saved her life, a little piece of action wouldn't have been too much to ask for free?

Why are you here?  What purpose did God intend for you?  If you don't know ask God, and then listen.  With an open heart and open ears He will tell you, show you and lead you.  Once you step into His purpose, your life has meaning and significance.

There's nothing like being called to do what you do.  It's so much better than chasing cash and women.  Let's be authentic men.

My New Year's Resolution Review

While looking through my files on my PDA, I came across my "anti-New Year's Resolution list," which I called the "not to do list."  I wrote this because I never keep those last-minute pipedreams. 

Out of the 10, I've only kept one - Don't gain any weight.  In fact, I've lost a couple pounds, trimming down the waistline through volleyball, AirSoft and fewer sodas.  How much different would my life would be right now if I had more diligently mastered the items on my list.

1. My wife would be happier.  I would have been cooking more and making less excuses.
2. I would have had less apologies to make and less shoe leather to floss out.
3. I would have been more productive and wasted less time.  Maybe seen more sunsets, taken a few more after dinner walks and who knows what else.
4. My friends would know I care and value them despite my terrible lack of communication.
5. My relationship with God would be closer to where it needs to be.

I'm trying to do better.  You know, be a little nicer, be a lot less lazy, be more active and take more time for the things that matter, like keeping up with friends, focusing on praying for my friends and family and living out the Gospel instead of just talking church.

Audio Bible Distribution Website Goes Live

Audio Bible Distribution Website Goes Live

Posted using ShareThis

What David Lee Roth Said Right

I miss my wife. 

Her label as wife is not about formality, tradition or even ownership of her.  This title is about love, friendship and companionship. 

She's away with her family in Kentucky, and I am home alone.  The alone part is the hard part. 

Many times I've been away from home.  But since

Sept 7, 2002

, I haven't had these feelings.  Since then, I've been with my wife, my friend and my lover.  My bride is more than a sidekick in the adventure of this life.  She's a part of me, and when that part is absent, I am incomplete. 

I cannot do this life without her.  My "better half" is many things, sweet, lovely, pleasant, balanced -- acting out the parts I am not.  She is beautiful, successful, sexy and thoughtful.  I miss her smile, her laugh, her gorgeous eyes and southern charm.  I miss my friend.  For almost two weeks now, I've been busy with work, volleyball, fishing, camping, hiking, AirSoft and housework.  Nothing I do takes my mind off of her.

There's an old Van Halen song with David Lee Roth about being a gigalo and he's singing about the single life and he bellows a line during a bridge, "sad and lonely, sad and lonely."  Before she left, we joked about this being my situation minutes after takeoff.  It's true.  She'll be home for two weeks before she's off to work in

L.A.

for the entire month of July.  I hope I my sanity holds out; if it doesn't I'll keep my pathetic post to myself.  But after all, loving one's wife is both biblical (see Col. 3:19) and manly.

An Authentic Man Must Have Vision

An authentic man must have vision. I'm not talking about looking into a crystal ball, reading your horoscope or visiting a palm reader; I'm talking about an idea of where you want to go and what you want your life to look like.

Several years ago, I had no idea of what I wanted to do.  I planned on getting hitched, having kids and working a job -- "living for the weekend."  Then I began to ask myself, "What is my life going to accomplish?  Would I be remembered for making a difference?"  NOTHING and NO were the resounding answers. 
 
Thirsty for more, click here to continue reading...

Things Authentic Men Must Have

As I was talking with my sister this week she mentioned a talk she had with her former boss, who was an adventure racer.  During this talk he asked her about her hobbies, she answered, and then he said, "You can tell a lot about a person by what they are passionate about."

There's a lot of truth in that statement.  I began to ponder what passions I had over the course of my life.  My earliest passion was ...

Thirsty for more?  Click here to continue reading.

Starwars' X-Wing Fighter Makes Me Mad

Last night, I was watching Starwars: A New Hope, the original "first" Starwars movie.  In the last battle scene all the rebel pilots take on the Deathstar, that planet-destroying, moon-shaped space station that threatens the universe.  To save the universe, the brave men flew their orange and white X-wing fighters into battle.

I had a brief flashback of my childhood, and I remembered playing with a hand-me-down X-wing fighter toy (Image).  It was the only aircraft I had, so I used it to strafe, bomb and rescue my toy soldiers from their enemies.  It was a multi-purpose aircraft, providing close-air support, medevacs, etc.

Thirsty for more?  Click here.

American Airlines Has Earned My Respect

Delta Airlines, take note.  Continental, listen up.  American Airlines has earned my respect.

This troubled air carrier may not be on time – like all the rest – but they support our troops.  While traveling home for the Christmas season, I noticed American Airlines staff honoring our "nation's finest" with gratitude and dignity.  On Flight 324 from Dallas to Nashville, the San Francisco Bay crew went beyond the call of duty to treat our troops with respect and professionalism.

To read more, click here.

 

Public Relations: a Godly profession?

In today's media-rich lifestyle, the field of public relations is often demonized.  Misappropriated words are associated with public relations practices such as propaganda and publicity.

I'm sick of it!  (How's that for political correctness?)

The professionals who choose this career path are often thought of as high-class car salesmen or pushing, arrogant "doublespeakers."  But I'm here to set the record straight.

Public relations is a noble profession, even a holy calling.

To read more, click here.