I've been mulling over General Paul Rader's
vision challenge while in office: 4 million soldiers and 100,000 officers.
Steve Court, in his blog, has resurfaced the challenge. Frankly, it leaves me a
bit flummoxed, and here's why.
Very few in TSA take it seriously. In fact, some
laugh at the thought, others poking fun at it, as if to say, "Is this guy
out of his mind?" Brings to mind, when I was the Candidate's Secretary,
setting the goal and theme, "80 for 1980" (as in Cadets), even Doris
writing a chorus to launch it: "Lord, give us 80, for 1980, the call must
come from You, for the laborers are few, etc." to the tune of "I Want
That Mountain." Oh my! Many thought that hilarious, some of the training
school staff writing their own counteracting chorus: "Lord, give us
twenty, we think that's plenty." To this day, I am occasionally reminded
of that laughable "80 for 1980" goal, always followed by a hearty
guffaw!
4 million is what percentage of 7 billion? An
infinitesimal drop in the proverbial bucket - about the population of Ireland
or New Zealand. 100,000 is what percentage of 4 million? - About the population
of the Federated States of Micronesia. Laughable goals? Impossible?
This leads me to the next flummoxed wondering.
"Why!" And I was led to the Bible for an answer.
Jeremiah 3:15-17 MSG: 15"I'll give you
good shepherd-rulers who rule my way, who rule you with intelligence and
wisdom."
16"And this is what will happen: You
will increase and prosper in the land. The time will come"—God's Decree!—"when
no one will say any longer, 'Oh, for the good old days! Remember the Ark of the
Covenant?' It won't even occur to anyone to say it—'the good old days.' The
so-called good old days of the Ark are gone for good.
17"Jerusalem will be the new Ark—'God's
Throne.' All the godless nations, no longer stuck in the ruts of their evil
ways, will gather there to honor God."
I want you to meditate momentarily on four
phrases outlined in this Scriptural challenge:
1. "I'll give you good shepherd-rulers who
rule my way…"
2. "You will increase and prosper..."
3. "Oh, for the good old days!"
4. "Stuck in the ruts of their evil ways…"
My exegesis on these verses will be coming in
the next post. Hint: Vision - Future tense. Mission - Past tense. In the meantime, look for Major
Stephen Court's take on it over at www. http://armybarmyblog.blogspot.ca.
Continually Flummoxed.
2 comments:
A great series Sven. I only hope it's not too late to turn the old vessel around. She's leaking badly and many good officers have already abandoned ship!
Time to resurrect Gowans' proposals!
Former
Australia East
Bond's vision:
"... The Lord not only sees what is happening but he also sees the path ahead, the way we should take as his Army. A very special Scripture verse for many of us is ‘I will instruct you. I will teach you the way that you should go. I will advise you as my eyes watch over you’ (Psalm 32:8
Yes, we can strategise, envision and even move forward, but in truth, not one of us knows the future, knows what lies ahead. All the imagining in the world cannot guarantee effectiveness in mission or fruitfulness in service. But the One who sees, knows. It may sound like a slick slogan or even a paradox, but an Army on the march must be an Army on its knees. The vision can only be actualised as we have his guidance and commit to it."
And your plan to reduce the losses to our troops, our officers? There are hundreds resigning annually. Be brave and tell Shaw to butt out!
Active
USA East
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