ChristianFighterPilot.com has published an ongoing series of articles on the priorities of military Christians.  As stated in the first article, the most-often cited Christian priorities are God, family, and career.  The God priority was addressed in the October article.

Since the November article on the importance of family, there have been two interesting and related news events.  In one case, the Air Force Leadership published the recent Airman’s Roll Call and highlighted the importance of family:

It’s [our families’] support that helps us perform our vital Air Force mission, and for this very reason, we must make the most of the time we have with them.

Historically, the Air Force has been the most “family friendly” of the services.  It has repeatedly shown that it recognizes the importance of the Air Force member’s family to the accomplishment of the mission.  As noted in the article on the family priority, there is a spiritual reason for holding the family so dear.  As the Air Force notes, however, valuing our families is also a virtual military necessity.

The second item of interest was the announcement of this year’s Heisman winner.  Florida quarterback Tim Tebow was effusive in his thanks to God for his success, and the article notes that

Football rates a mere fourth on his list of priorities behind God, family and academics.

The young college sophomore displayed an unusual degree of maturity and understanding of life’s bigger purposes.  Much as Indianapolis Colts’ head coach Tony Dungy related in his book, Tebow realized that football wasn’t everything, and that his life needed to reflect what was truly important:

[Football is] a game that I love and you’ve got to remember that He gave me the ability and the opportunity to play and it can be gone at any moment…[In] football, in school, in living, I want people to…say, “Hey, there’s something different about this guy, and that’s because he has a relationship with Jesus Christ.”

The pastor at his Florida church noted Tebow’s “postgame interviews and the ongoing Christian witness that’s quickly becoming his trademark.”

There is a special place in the imagination of the American public for football players–especially quarterbacks.  The same is true for members of the military–especially fighter pilots.  Just as their positions give football players unique platforms for Christ, so, too, do those of military Christians.  Military Christians could probably learn a lesson from the life choices and boldness of the young college sophomore.