Preston Mitchell's Blog

Veterans Day 2010

    As the son of a veteran of WW2, I never really gave Veterans Day much thought.  It wasn't until I attended my Dad's 42nd Rainbow Division reunion that I got what it meant to be a veteran.  As I listened to their stories of being young men in battle, I was amazed at the humor, love and pride in  their stories.  There was no bitterness or hate.  I saw a special bond between veterans that none of us outsiders could ever experience. 

    In 1961, my uncle and his team were secretly serving as a Green Beret adviser to the RLA (Royal Laotian Army) in Laos.  On April 22nd, they were surrounded by the Pathet-Lao communist forces.  Two men were killed during the attack and my uncle and another man was captured.  Here is his story:

REMARKS: KIA N ESCAPE UG 0944 - J

SYNOPSIS: The early 1960's marked a period of civil war and military coups
in the country of Laos which resulted in major objectives being taken by
Kong Le-Pathet Lao communist forces. Kong Le had himself been a graduate of
the CIA-sponsored Philippine scout and ranger school and had announced that
he was fighting the corrupt royal government headed by Prince Souvanna
Phouma. Kong Le found support from the Soviets, who assisted him in
defeating Gen. Phoumi Nosavan's countercoup forces at the capitol city of
Vientiane in December 1960. Pathet Lao troops were airlifted by the Soviets
to take the Plaine des Jarres region in March 1961.

Although Gen. Nosavan and Groupement 12 of the new Forces Armees de Laos
continued to give chase to Kong Le and his troops, they were not successful
in regaining the Plain of Jars. In early March two Pathet Lao battalions
drove Groupement 12 back toward Vang Vieng. Capt. Walter Moon's four-man
Field Training Team FTT-59, MAAG, of the 7th Special Forces Group was
attached to the 6th Bataillon d'infanterie (Lao) at Ban Pha Home, about
thirty miles north of Vang Vieng. On April 22, 1961, the battalion was
subjected to a heavy and accurate artillery barrage and was rapidly flanked
at Phou Tesao.

Shortly after the battalion commander announced that they were cut off, the
perimeter collapsed and the Pathet Lao quickly overran the battalion
positions. The team's commander, Capt. Walter Moon, was captured in the
initial attack.

SFC John M. Bischoff (the medic), Sgt. Gerald M. Biber (the radio operator),
and some Laotian soldiers jumped aboard an armored car, heading south on
Route 13,  in a breakout effort. According to Lao survivors, they crouched
behind the turret, but the car came under heavy grenade attack. Sgt.
Bischoff fired a machine gun from the vehicle until he was shot through the
neck and killed. Sgt. Biber had already been wounded and was apparently
killed by stick grenades thrown against the armored car. The vehicle was
halted and its crew captured.

Sgt. Orville R. Ballinger, demolitions sergeant, escaped through the jungle
and linked up with some Lao soldiers. They found a boat and were going
downriver when they were surprised and captured by the Pathet Lao seven days
later. Sgt. Ballenger were eventually released in August 1962.

Capt. Moon tried to escape twice during his confinement, and on the last
attempt was wounded in the chest and head. According to Ballinger, Moon's
head injury caused him to be come mentally unbalanced, and after several
months of persecution, he was executed in his prison quarters at Lat Theoung
by a Meo guard and a Pathet Lao officer on July 22, 1961. The Pathet Lao
have consistently denied knowledge of Moon, Biber or Bischoff.

In 1984, James "Bo" Gritz, a highly decorated former Special Forces colonel,
brought documents and a photograph pertaining to Moon from Laos and gave
them to the U.S. Government. Moon's wife positively identified the
photograph and Moon's signature. The Government stated that the photograph
was made May 6, 1961, two weeks after Moon's capture. (Moon was normally
clean-shaven but had, according to USG, grown a full beard in 2 weeks!)

Though the documents were taken from a large collection of 250-300 similar
documents held by the Lao People's Army in Laos, the U.S. refused to demand
the information from the Lao. The Defense Intelligence Agency, according to
Congressman Stephen Solarz, has full knowledge of this collection.

Whether Biber and Bischoff survived the ambush on April 22, 1961 is unknown.
They and Moon are among nearly 600 Americans who disappeared in Laos and did
not return.

 My uncle was tortured, tied up, starved, shot, stoned and driven out of his mind during his imprisionment as a POW.  All for the price of freedom.  He died a young man.  His children never really knew him.  His wife was denied the happiness and love of marriage.  I was only around Uncle Walt (or Bill Jack) once or twice as a small kid.  But he has always been my hero.  He was awarded the Silver Star by President John F. Kennedy in 1962.

Today, we honor veterans like Captain Walter H. Moon.  Veterans Day is personal to me.  I pray that today, we all pray for our military veterans and their families.  This should be the most special day of the year.

 

 

True Love

These past few days have been special for our family. Our son-in-law David came home for R&R from Iraq. Mallory hasn't seen him in about 7 months. Saturday, he returns to Iraq to complete his duty. Hopefully, he will be back in March and they will live together for several months as he completes Captain's School at Ft. Sill, OK. After that, who knows?

I can't imagine how joyful Mallory was when David walked off the plane. Mallory has the drama gene in her, so when she gets excited, everyone will know it. What a courageous demonstration of love and commitment to marriage. We can talk about it all we want, but is supernatural love and commitment real in your marriage and relationships?

Their reunion was a snapshot of what to expect when we enter into eternity. When we see Jesus for the first time, I imagine I will run to him and throw myself in His arms like Mallory did to David. I can't wait for that reunion in the future.

We have moved recently.  Our new address is 7800 Fairwest Ct., North Ricland Hills, 76182.  God has been working in incredible ways around our family.  We are so blessed and loved by the Author of Love.  We don't understand the reasons, but we will gratefully accept and follow God's plan for our lives.

Lost and Found

    If you're like me, you may have asked yourself what you would have done if you were one of the Chilean miners trapped a half mile underground for more than 2 months.  The isolation, lack of supplies, fear and claustrophobia are just a few of the things that would freak me out.  As each miner stumbled out of the cage on solid ground, I was thrilled for them and the men and women who had spent days and months drilling so that these men could be rescued.  The rescuers and the rescued broke out into smiles that brightened my day. 

     They were lost.  They were found.  They were rescued.  That's an illustration of the gospel.  We were born lost.  Then we were found when we heard the gospel.  And rescued when we received the transforming righteousness of Jesus. 

    David, who I'm sure spent a lot of time in caves and pits hiding from King Saul, wrote that he "waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand." I love Psalm 40 because it can be a huge inspiration to anyone in the muck and mire of life.

    As one of the miners got out of the cage this morning, he reached into a bag and picked up a bunch of rocks.  As he met mining and government officials, he gave each one of them a rock.  In effect, he give them the gift of the gospel;  he was lost and now he was rescued. 

    Keep your pockets and purses full of rocks today.  We need to share the rock, the gospel of our salvation with people all around us who are buried in their sin and eternal death.  Rescue someone today!

Hanging with the Aging

A couple of weeks ago, I decided to visit my Mom.  Just me.  No wife, kids or other family.  It was her and me. It's the first time my Mom and I have been together like that since high school.  We were between moving out and moving in to our new home.  Dedo had planned to be out of town a few days, so I decided to visit her while I had a few days to spare.

The highlight of my time with her was escorting her and the Sr. Adults 6 Sunday School class from First Baptist Church, Van Buren, Ark. About 50 people rode a bus from Van Buren, Ark. to Little Rock to see a dinner theater.  With the success of dinner theater in Bransom, there seem to be more of them popping up around NW Arkansas.  I don't know of any in Texas, so it may be an Arkansas thing.  So there I was, the youngest person on the bus.  Talk about strange.  It's been a long time since I have been the youngest at anything I've attended.  The guy closest to my age was probable about 12 years older than me.  My Mom, who is 81 was one of the oldest.  Most of them were in their 70's.  

We had about a two hour drive to Little Rock.  We stopped at the mall in Little Rock for a little shopping, then on to our dinner theater event.  The buffet was okay and the show was good - if you like southern mountain gospel and Baptist jokes.  It was a hoot.  The actors and singers played every stringed instrument you can imagine, plus a washboard, jars, bells and all kinds of sound making devices not used in today's music scene.  Imagine Hee Haw with the Gaither Family and you'll have some idea of the show.  The biggest laugh of the show was the girl who made up sign language for every word in every song.  Let your creative minds run loose with that challenge. 

As I sat with my big city pride hoping that no one recognized me, I glanced over at my Mom.  Her face was shining with joy.  She laughed at all the jokes so hard, she was crying,  She clapped with the music and had  the time of her life. I felt like an idiot at that point. I realized that this whole thing was about her, not me.  If she was having a great time, than I was happy.  When I got happy, I laughed at a few of the jokes, clapped my hands and sang along with the songs. Me and Mom.  Together.

On the way home while I was trying to sleep, these elderly people were talking, laughing, playing cards, telling jokes and causing general mayhem on the bus. At 1 am in the morning!  It was like riding back from camp with a bunch of high school students. I wondered what was going on with some of the singles on the bus who were sitting next to each other. I concluded that growing older is not going to be as bad as I thought.  As long as we are with people we love and enjoy life to the fullest and stay connected to the church, age doesn't matter.  I know a lot of teenagers who don't have as much joy for life as these elderly people. Aging isn't as scary as it used to be after I jumped off the bus with my Mom. 

I can't say that I am looking forward to aging, but as I do, I'll be a lot happier about it! 

FC20

This weekend Fellowship Church celebrates our 20th anniversary!  It's difficult to comprehend that we have been doing this that long.  I was 34 when we started and now I am 54.  That about says it all!  It's been such an honor and a pleasure serving at Fellowship.  I feel like I have the job of a lifetime, one that makes an eternal difference in people's lives.  I think back over the years about all the people who have come and gone through the doors of our church.  And the crazy stories are almost endless.  I mean flat out crazy! 

Here are my picks for the last 20 years:

Favorite Series    "The Table"

Favorite Event  Easter at American Airlines Center - 1996 (I think)

Favorite Weekend    The move from Irving to Grapevine - 1998

Favorite "Edism"  "Riding on the edge and the ledge of creativity"

Favorite Message     "Tailor Made" (Easter)

Favorite misspeak on stage   Troy Page telling people to "crap for Jesus!" 

Favorite Drama     The last one we did

I could go on and on thinking of all my favorite times.  But the most important weekend has always been the weekend coming up.  So this weekend, I pray God moves in your life and that you respond in obedience.  And God Bless Fellowship Church!

Moving Day

"This is our last move," I bravely told my wife as we unpacked the last box six years ago.  I thought about that statement while packing box #52 as we prepare to move to another house in a couple of weeks.  It's crazy when I think about it.  What are we doing? Where are we going?  Is this really right for us? Those kinds of questions follow you wherever you go. 

There's nothing fun about packing, unless you are leaving prison.  Since I have never had the honor, packing has been a pain.  We've packed and unpacked 4 times in 30 years.  We will be moving to our 5th home.  It's hard to leave a great house.  We have loved this house, but packing reminds me that it is still a house.  The stuff we pack is what makes a house a home.  And we carry our home from one location to another. 

During the past couple of weeks of packing, I have found some really cool stuff that brings back memories.  My high school class ring reminds me of a crazy time in the life of America - the 70's. Cameron's first baseball glove reminded me of the hours I sat watching him play baseball, and I miss it.  The letters from old girlfriends, including the one I married, reminds me of what a jerk I was during high school.  Thousands of pictures printed on Kodachrome (great Paul McCartney song) paper are stuffed in dozen of boxes.  Those old pics allowed us to experience memories where we literally grew up from newlyweds to almost empty nesters.  Looking at pics of our kids brought memories flooding back to Dedo and I with unspoken memories of years gone by.

I realized that we were prideful about our house.  It is hard not to let your house define who you are. I know a lot of miserable people in beautiful homes. What an idiot I was to think that a house makes a home.  The truth is... a home makes a house. So, our home continues to grow and develop and change.  I suppose it will always be that way.  We are moving through life at a rapid rate ultimately waiting for our heavenly home. I am almost sure that I will be moving a few more times until that day comes.

C3 Global Energizes the Church

The last time I wrote a blog I was the student pastor at Fellowship Church.  Today, I have the privilege of serving with a new organization founded by Fellowship Church this February called C3 Global.  C3 Global is a network of churches that are unified and have a vision of addressing the issues facing the church and its mandate to reach the world.  I believe C3 Global is an example of how many churches will work together in the 21st century. The website is www.myc3global.com. C3 Global is all about coaching senior pastors through round tables, seminars and conferences.  We will provide huge missional opportunities that can change the world.  For example, today we are in Haiti adopting 100 orphanages for three years with the goal of turning them into churches.  C3 Global also provides money to church planters who have God's calling to start a new work.  A local C3 Global church will mentor and pray for the new planter.  Another huge part of C3 Global is the connection churches get to legal, financial, audit, insurance, and counseling firms with significant discounts.  Some churches are saving thousands of dollars alone by having their property insurance changed to a C3 Global firm.

If you have any questions about C3 Global, send me your number as a response.  We are already helping pastors to grow their churches with creativity and a passion for the gospel.

Rambling thoughts.....

Lady Gaga is the #1 Twitter recipient in the world with more than 5 million friends.  The President of the US only gets half that much...

The Texas Rangers are in first place in the AL West by 8 1/2 games.  Who says God can't work miracles...

Dallas Cowboys training camp is looking rough.  To many injuries...

My son wants a sleeve tattoo at the age of 20.  One of our pastors is helping him find an artist...times have changed

C3 Global Round Table last night at Shannon O''Dell's church was off the chain.  What an influencer and leader in rural Arkansas...His new book is awesome...

20th anniversary of Fellowship Church is September 11/12...I feel old...and honored...

Men's Conference coming Oct. 8/9 at Fellowship Church.  Get your boots on and make plans for a mantastic time...

 

 

R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

I went to lunch the other day.  It was a hamburger place where you walk up to the cashier and place your order.  Behind the counter was a kid that was probably about 16 years old.  After I placed my order he said "thanks bud."  I about jumped over the counter to explain to him who he was calling  'bud."  He would have killed me, but he wouldn't make that mistake again.  After I cooled down, it was pretty funny.

That particular incident caused me to think about respect.  I immediately thought of the verse in Leviticus that instructs us to "rise in the presence of the aged and respect our elders."  In today's society, we don't honor our elders like our elders honored their elders.  I remember how my dad treated people older than him.  He seemed to understand that they were due respect because many of these men and women had gone through two wars and a Great Depression.  He was especially respectful around veterans of war, those men that had fought with him in WW2. 

My mom would make weekly visits to the nursing home where my dad died because she respected and loved the residents.  Even though they didn't remember who they were, my mom did.  For years, she would stop by and talk to them, play games with them and comfort them.  They were her elders and she honored them. 

I have to ask myself that same question now that I am elder.  Do I honor those men and women who have gone before me?  Could I call Owen Goff, one of our most respected founders of Fellowship Church "bud?"  It's seems like a sin just thinking about it.  Next time I see Doris Scoggins, another founder of Fellowship Church, should I call her "mama?"  She may hit me! HA!  Our ushers and greeters do a great job of looking out for elderly people who may be having a hard time negotiating through our crowds.  We try to get to them and help them out.  We have wheelchairs available and a plan to get our elderly in and out quickly. 

Parents, we have got to do a better job of teaching our children respect for their elders.  Maybe we need to demonstrate respect in front of our kids. God will honor our families if we show respect to our aged and elders.  If they don't respect you, why would they respect someone else? The kid at the restaurant is probably a pretty good kid, he's just lacking in respect.  I don't even want to admit I am his elder, but sadly I am.  

Students, you are commanded to respect those who are in authority over you, and in most cases that's people older and more experienced than you.  You don't have to like them, just respect them.  One day, when you're standing in a line and someone calls you "bud," you'll know what I am talking about.

 

 

Man on a Mission

There was a great story in the Dallas Morning News (www.dallasnews.com) today about one of our own Fellowshippers!  For years, Brad Blauser was one of the most active volunteers at Fellowship Church.  Anything you asked of him, he would do it.  I had the opportunity to get to know Brad as we served together at our Kiosk in the Worship Center.  Brad always had a desire to work in the local church, but for whatever reason it never worked out.

Several years ago, Brad decided to take a defense job in Iraq.  I thought he was a little crazy for doing it, but he had no hesitation in going to the center of a war-torn country.  As is Brad's nature, he began to look around and see what he could do to help.  It didn't take long for Brad to notice that there were a lot of Iraqi children who were missing legs.  He watched as they drug themselves around by their arms.  God immediately put into Brad a new vision for helping the children of Iraq.  If they didn't have wheelchairs, he was going to provide them one.  With the help of many people, including the Army, Brad has helped distribute hundreds of wheelchairs to Iraqi children.  Today, his goal is to convince the Iraqi government to support their own children by providing $60 million.  They have turned Brad down twice but that won't stop him.  I believe that God will ultimately move in the hearts of the people of Iraq to support their children.  You can go to www.wheelchairsforIraqichildren.comto find out more about what he is doing.  He also has a FaceBook page at www.facebook.com/bradblauser! Brad's work has been selected by CNN as a top ten humanitarian organization in the world and is eligible for a $100,000 prize.  That will buy a lot of wheelchairs. You can vote for Brad and his organization to win the prize by going to www.cnn.com.

Isn't it cool how one guy can take on a project and grow in into a international cause.  Brad has managed to share the love of Christ to thousands of Iraqi families, the Iraqi government and American armed forces personnel who help Brad deliver the wheelchairs. You have to wonder what terrorists think about Brad.  How many of their children has Brad helped?

Brad will not come home until he feels like his mission is done.  He continues to live at Camp Victory in danger every day.  God took a single every day man and turned him into a superstar of Christianity.  Brad is a great example of what God can do if we just take one step with Him.

Pray for Brad and his mission!

Parent Judges

Last night, my son Cameron and I got into it a little when I made a cautionary comment about something he had done.  Then he gave me the response that every parent loves to hear  because it is biblical.  He said, "Dad, don't judge me. You don't know me.  You can't judge me. The Bible says so."  At that point, the paint brush I was holding was jjust about ready to reign down judgment on his skinny self.

I've thought a lot about what the Bible says about judging.  Are we wrong as parents if we warn our children about someone or something and risk being judgmental?  I am no bible scholar, but it is clear to me that we as followers of Christ have an obligation to confront someone on an obvious sin in their lives.  The more important question is the way we do it.  

In the famous passage in Matthew 7, Jesus tells his followers this: ¹"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. ²For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

 ³"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? ⁴How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? ⁵You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

In this verse, Jesus doesn't tell us not to judge, but be in the right spiritual mind before we tackle someone else's problem.  We have to realize that we are sinners, seek forgiveness for our sins, turn from acting on our sins, then we are in a place to approach someone else. I also believe it is something we should do hesitantly and with great love and grace.  It also has to be shared with someone we have built a special bond with. There are only two or three guys who can judge me.  When they do, I trust their judgment.

We are also obligated to teach the young, tell them of what God has done in our lives and warn them of the dangers of falling away from Christ.  I think the word discernment is better than the word judge.  When I warn my children about something, I do it from a discerning eye for their protection and safety.  If our kids are hanging out with the wrong people, we still stand strong and pull our kid out of that group.  Are we judging?  Not really.  We are simply carrying out our responsibility as parents to protect our kids based on years of experience.  We have to call it like we see it.

I don't know if I answered my question or not!  But it is something that is worth consideration because it happens almost every day.  We make judgments on people, policies, finances, friends, etc.  I believe that if we are following the Lord, he will help us to avoid harshly judging people and allow us to speak truth in love. 

This whole "judgemen"t thing may be one of the most difficult principles to explain. If you have a thought, share it.