Yesterday morning my coffee pot did not work.  I went out to a local gas station to get a cup of coffee and put gas in the truck.  As I was fueling the truck a man approached me.  “Hey brother,” he smiled, “how is it going?  What brings you to Duncan?”  At first I was confused, until I saw part of a pair of dolphins tattooed on this man’s chest.  Then,  I knew.  He was a brother submariner.

 

We talked for awhile and as we parted he said, “I work down the road.  If you need anything while you are here, just go down there and ask for me.  Anything you need, I will get.  We have to stick together because there is no one else.”

 

As I reflect upon that encounter with a fellow vet, I realize the depth of his words and his commitment to his fellow submariners.  A depth that lacks within the church today.  It is a depth of trust, that overlooks mistakes and failures.  A depth of commitment that will sacrifice all if needed.  A depth of love that will die for another. 

 

Why?  Because we have been through life and death together.  We had to stand beside each other, even if we could not get along, or we would die.  We wanted to go home.  To go home, we had to do it together.

 

What is lacking in the church is found in the veterans who served.   Sad, but true. One day, it will change for the church, but it will be painful.  When it does change, it will be a deep relationship like none other.