The Bizzaro World We Walk Thru

Aug 30, 2009

So yeah this is a play off a friends blog, that will remain nameless ( http://rantsfrompastortracy.blogspot.com/ ). But bare with me this might be fun and then again it might just be some more mindless garble coming from my brain.

To know where I am going with this one you have to have a frame of reference ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bizarro_World ). You can check out Season 8 of Seinfeld or if you are real old you can look back at some of the DC Comics where Bizzaro appears as the opposite of Superman.

Anyways here we go.

I decided today to try an experiment in a realm of Bizzaro (a.k.a. Jalalabad, Afghanistan - this can apply however to pretty much any place related to OIF / OEF). The experiment was a success if compared to our aforementioned examples. There were some similarities but these constants would never change because they could upset the balance of each "realm".

As I jot down my ideas I sit in a small dive in Jalalabad Airfield, Jalalabad, Afghanistan. Rather than a nice quiet coffee shop, this place is a converted containerized unit used to ship stuff on cargo ships. I wouldn’t say I love this place but it does remind me of a nice little place back home in Colorado Springs. A place where I would go from time to time to “study” with my friend Tracy. In all actualality (is that even a word) most times we talked about what was going on in life, observed those around us, and it was just a good time to sit, relax, and have some good coffee with a great friend.

I didn’t have a book to read just some paper and I found a newspaper lying on the counter (Constant) which I decided to use to pass the time and play Sudoku. As I sat and observed several people came in and out. NONE of which just sat and enjoyed a cup of joe (Bizzaro). They are from all over the world and from all walks of life I am sure. We have every branch of military (save the Coast Guard) and all kinds of Civilian Companies here. Everyone carries a weapon to the coffee shop(Bizzaro). How strange would that be to walk into Pikes Perk with a gun? Not a cop or law enforcement, EVERYONE, and EVERYONE'S got ammo. Its very interesting to people watch. My wife has caught me doing it on several occasions, I know somewhere along the line I have been taught to stay cognizant of my surroundings. Most of the time its just plane fun to be honest.

It’s a Sunday, and I know that most of the people on this FOB are not even aware of that fact and that there are about 8 different services today just to meet everyone’s spiritual / scheduling needs. I even offered to one of my Soldiers if he wanted to go to church he could and I would cover the morning shift, he has previously expressed the interest to go (personally I like the night service better), He declined so I went.

Being here is just so odd. Geri and I have talked many times about how the Army is just not our way of life. We have tried to fit in but we don’t really mesh well with the lifestyle. So why did we stick it out so long? Well it was an easy job and GOD wanted us to, that’s the bottom line. Don’t get me wrong the Army is meant for some people, a lot of people actually. I do believe it is one of the largest employers of men and women between the ages of 17 & 40 something (Over 1,000,000 employees and counting). It just all seems so bizzaro to me.

I thought this the other day as our Company Nickname has been changed twice since last deployment, both times in reference to Hell (Hell Hounds, Hell Storm), the Army is fixated on things that scream macho, bravado, and most of all death and hell. It just seems so odd that an organization that is meant protect is so bent on destruction and the thought of taking pleasure in “sending people to hell”. Am I right? Last time I checked we are in the business of protecting our nation and others weaker than us......even though we invade we are not keeping the land. Or at least that's what they would have us believe, who knows what the real motives are (that is another discussion all together). Have you ever thought about that, actually wanting to send someone to hell, its not a nice thought.

What’s interesting is that these Soldiers, Airmen, Sailors, and Marines all have more access to GOD than most Americans. Every unit has a Chaplin and every Chaplin talks to a majority of the people under his charge on a regular basis. Everyone knows the Chaplin, he’s the guy with candy and a smile (no jokes please). We have free bibles and literature coming out of our ears here. I guess it goes to show that Satan will always take a great situation for GOD and turn it around to seem like GODs not here. I have even had one Soldier make the statement…”That’s why I am going to HELL”. Sometimes I don’t understand why people are so willing to accept eternal damnation, so willing not to make a change for the better.

I guess that is the way of this world though. If you look at it, Earth is Bizzaro in comparison to where we as Christians will one day spend eternity. As unfortunate as it is, some people will never know a better place than this. Our problem is how many of them will we let slip thru the cracks? How can we show them that accepting an eternal fate of hell is not a good option?
I agree we should do what we can to talk to these people around us that are afraid to step into the light. Because that’s what it is, a fear of coming out and having their SIN exposed. I am not perfect and my wife, parents, family, and friends can attest to that for sure. But not everyone see’s it that way. As soon as they know you’re a Christian they assume you never did anything wrong. Ooooh if they could have seen the things I have seen and done the things I've done. Not that I am proud of where I have been but it proves none of us are perfect but by the Grace of GOD we can be fixed.

And on the other hand we have people professing to be Christians that act no different than the world, which makes me even sadder. If you are reading this and you haven’t seen the light ask someone who has what their life was like before GOD as opposed to how there life is now. Settling for Going to Hell is not a good option.

If you are in the light don’t hide it but rather share it. That doesn’t mean to shove the gospel down some ones throat. If they can’t breathe how can they grow? If we can just plant that seed and water it as needed it may grow into a beautiful flower.

So take a walk in your Bizzaro and see if you can show someone the Real World.