What's Wrong with This Picture?
July 23, 2003

I don't do hot.

I was born and raised mostly in New England. We may have a few days of hot weather there in the summer, usually followed by summer showers. I was first exposed to hot weather when I spent a summer in Dallas, Texas in 1962. As a very energetic almost fourteen-year-old, I knew nothing about heat and what it can do to the body. I met the kid across the street and we played all day long. First basketball, then baseball, and finally football before we called it a day. It was great!

I went into my Aunt's house looking for something cold to drink. Behold! A 16 ounce Dr Pepper was in the frig just waiting for my eager lips. Shortly after, I felt weak and decided to lie down and rest. I wound up resting for several days eating salt tablets and drinking lots of water. I had experienced heat prostration. So ever since I've been very careful of exposing myself to hot environments.

So, what's with my always winding up in hot zones of the world? I'm referring to climate here, not political/military areas. I joined the Marine Corps late summer so I would begin Boot Camp in the fall, thus avoiding the summer's heat in San Diego. We had a hot fall. Then I was off to Jacksonville, Florida for schooling. Hot. Then to El Toro, California. Hot. Then to Iwakuni, Japan. At last! It was cool. That only lasted a few months before I was assigned to a special mission in the Philippines. Hot. And then Vietnam. Hot.

San Jose State University had the major I needed, so I graduated from there in 1976. Hot. My wife and I moved to Portland, Oregon where I attended seminary. Cool. Only we had one of the hottest summers on record. It was also the summer I was working for a trucking company loading and unloading tractor-trailers. Hot. After seminary I was hired to be the youth pastor at our home church in San Jose. Hot. Then I was asked to serve a church in Fresno. Hot.

I was commissioned as a Navy Chaplain in 1983. My first duty assignment was Camp Pendleton, California. Hot. My next assignment was Guam (Hot) where I was to be the command chaplain for a supply ship that spent the majority of its time hovering around the equator. Hot. Next assignment was Stockton, California. Hot. Next assignment: Los Angeles. Hot. Then Rota, Spain. Hot.

I left active duty in 1993. I was hired to be associate pastor of a church in Turlock, California. Hot. My reserve unit was a Marine artillery battalion. Every summer we trained at 29 Palms, California. Hot. One summer I was assigned to provide circuit-riding ministry for our Navy ships in the Persian Gulf. Hot.

In 1998 I was asked to serve the Free Methodist Church in Ripon, California. Hot. Last year I was activated in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, and was attached to the First Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, California. Hot. Then I'm sent to Kuwait and Iraq. Hot. I come home to Ripon for a couple of weeks leave. Hot. Now I'm flying out to Djibouti, East Africa for my next military assignment. Hot.

I mean, what's up with this? I don't do hot!

I know the Lord has a great sense of humor, and he's probably had some fun at my expense. But that's all okay, really. Why? Because there's a place that's really, really hot. But I'll never go there. You see, I asked Jesus into my heart thirty-one years ago and the Bible says I'm going to heaven to be with him forever.

And that's cool!