Tag Archives: Bible

TDYs, Remotes, and Separations

In addition to his demanding daily commitments, a fighter pilot will inevitably be called upon to deploy—meaning he will travel to another destination to accomplish even more responsibilities.  These deployments vary in nature and include short-term temporary duties to attend a training class, indefinite commitments to conduct combat operations, and assignment to remote tours that are a year or more long.  Each situation presents unique challenges to a fighter pilot’s Christian walk, finances, family, and more.  Read more

Spiritual Requisites of a Christian Fighter Pilot

A Christian fighter pilot engages in spiritual combat on a daily basis.  His foundation is threatened, his faith is tested, and his righteous life is challenged.  To survive, he requires a firm spiritual foundation and Christian mutual support. 

A Christian fighter pilot needs a firm foundation to be an effective witness to the world.  His foundation is based on the strength of his faith and beliefs; he must know what he believes, why he believes it, and he must have confidence in it.  If a Christian believes without question that God parted the Red Sea for the nation of Israel, allowing them to cross on dry ground and drowning the Egyptians after them, then to him it is as sure as fact.  Conversely, if he thinks that God parted the sea, but isn’t sure if it was just a marsh, or maybe the Egyptians just got caught in the mud, then his faith is based on indefinites and his beliefs are indefensible.  When challenged, the Christian with firm beliefs will not waver and will rely on the underpinnings of his faith; the Christian whose faith is based on possibilities will have no fortress to fall back to when his faith is challenged, and he may retreat to a secular position or simply surrender all together. Read more

Starting a Bible Study

If a pilot arrives at a location (either a new assignment or temporary duty) and doesn’t find an active Bible study, he should consider starting one on his own.  Often Christian fighter pilots who see such a need choose to start a fellowship under the auspices of a national organization such as OCF, the Navigators, Cadence, or any of a host of others.  An important note for those pilots is that outside religious organizations that operate on base must do so “under the umbrella of [the] senior chaplain’s program. (AF Message)”  This is normally not a problem since most organizations that minister to the military encourage an active relationship with the local chaplaincy.  Given the current climate for a proactive Christian in the military, though, (see Religion and Military Policy), it is important for a Christian fighter pilot to make sure that he is in compliance with the appropriate procedures. 

There are many resources that can guide a Christian in starting a group Bible study (See Links).  Many publishers create not only the text of the study, but also teacher’s notebooks with schedules and guided discussion questions.  Read more

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