Hello,

We are officially back at it. Unit 72’s 2nd Phase started today, bringing the summer furlough to an end. We have 16 men in training, and 3 men in leadership under Sergeant Major LaBarca. Please be in prayer for us as we get back into the swing of training, and be in prayer for the men as they begin the next stage of their ALERT careers.

Even though this is a smaller Battalion, I think that SMaj. and I will have our hands full with some of the individual personalities and struggles the men are bringing to the table. People are complicated, and working with people is messy. At the same time, it is also a privilege to get to work with the guys that come for training, and a tremendous opportunity. I have been trying to emphasize to the Battalion leadership the need for good stewardship of this opportunity. 2nd Phase is short—in less than nine weeks they’ll either be heading home or heading into a 3rd Phase quarter. I want myself and the Battalion leadership to carry that stewardship well. Not just in the things we intend or try to do with and for the men, but also in all the ways that we unknowingly speak into or impact their lives, for good or ill.

A simple way to think about discipleship is that it is just changing how someone thinks. If you change how they think, you’ll change what they want, how they act, what they focus on, what they invest their time and effort into. And that type of discipleship often takes place in the insignificant moments of the day. An offhand comment here. Someone watching how you respond to something there. Pray that we would carry that stewardship well, and be worthy of the responsibility and opportunity that God has given us.