Message From Dan

I’ve been pretty busy with training. There isn’t a lot to really talk about, since the first two weeks have been mostly administrative. I passed the initial PFT and am now officially training. I am supposed to graduate in December (God willing). The training is very difficult but having Loralee here has been great. I’ve met some amazing Marines and made a few friends.

One friend whom I go to church with is a strong Christian and an awesome guy. Loralee and I have hung out with him several times and got to watch a couple movies. We saw Kung Fu Panda which was surprisingly funny and The Incredible Hulk which was incredibly bad.

Church: For the past couple weeks we’ve been attending a local Calvary Chapel in the area. It’s very cozy and a stark contrast from the mega church at Saddleback. This week’s message was from Pastor Justin Alfred, a fellow Californian, has a teaching ministry "Word in Life" ministries, and can be often heard on the radio.

The actual service was the most interactive one I’ve ever been to. He had my friend actually stand up and punch him in the stomach to explain the importance of building an iron shield stomach. He did this in order to emphasize the importance of being rooted in the word and having the ability to shield yourself from the ways of the wicked.

During one point the pastor told us the story about his daughter’s murder. If you have a minute you can read it on your own time. But to sum it up, he was able to forgive his daughter’s murderer through the grace of God. He said, his faith helped him realize that whatever his anger toward the murderer would have led him to do would have been incomplete. He prayed for God's perfect and complete mercy, but also his justice. He further explained that he must forgive his daughter’s murderer because God had forgiven him and he will not let anger rule his life.

Links:

Justin Alfreds website

News articles about his daughter:
The Californian
Press-Enterprise

Thats all for now. Time to get ready for tomorrow...

PS: Happy Fathers Day – Dad thank you for all the sagely advice you have given me and all your unconditional love and support. I miss you and mom and hope to see you both once we finish our time here.