CHAP'S CHAT:

CHAPLAIN KING

Dear Soldiers, Families, and Friends,

Greetings in the Name of our Lord! Well, the temperatures are really beginning to drop here in Iraq. It has been getting down to a cool, almost chilly, 95 degree average during the day! In all honesty, it does feel pretty good compared to the 120's we were sweating in down in Kuwait. Needless to say, the land-scape here is dry, dusty, and barren – a far cry from the "Evergreen State."

However, not far from the base, you can see an area that is lush, green, and full of life. Palm trees fill the horizon in this oasis in the desert. How is it that this patch of vibrant vegetation rises up in the midst of a desert wasteland? Well, I'm glad you asked! It's because it lines the banks of the Tigris River from which it derives its life-giving water.

This reminds me of a passage from the Psalms. It says that the person whose delight is in the Word of God and who meditates on it day and night is "like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers" (Psalm 1:2-3). God's Word is a source of refreshment for our souls. When we fail to spend time drinking from its life-giving waters, we become dry in our spirits and we struggle to bear the good fruit of kindness, gentleness, patience, and love for others.

...the person whose delight is in the Word of God and who meditates on it day and night is "like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither."

We all face "dry times" in our lives, and therefore it is essential that we take time to drink from the waters of God's Word. By doing so we will find life-giving spiritual water that will enable us to not only survive, but to thrive in the difficult, dry times.