Please join me in welcoming Stephen to "Seasons of Humility!"Amber: Thank you so much for joining us today! It is an honor to have you visit. To start, could you tell us a little about yourself and why you chose to join the U.S. military?
Stephen: My name is Stephen Novak. I am a senior at Corban University majoring in Criminal Justice with the goal of a career in federal law enforcement. I desire to serve the Lord in my career. I joined the military because I wanted adventure and wanted to see the world. I wanted to serve my country as well and learn about the military.
Amber: What branch(es) of the military have you served in? How would you describe your overall experience?
Stephen: I served in the Army National Guard as an Infantryman. My experience was very good and worthwhile. I looked at the military as a huge witness field for Christ.
Amber: Could you share at least one of the ways you saw God working in your life during your term of service?
Stephen: Later on during my Iraq tour, I was able to lead my fellow soldiers in prayer before going out on missions.
Amber: Do you recall any lessons you learned about humility while in the military that we could also learn from?
Stephen: I learned that my way was not always the right way. There are a variety of ways to get a job done and it is not worth the effort sometimes to argue about who is right and who is wrong. Save your energy for the physical and spiritual enemy.
Amber: What are some of the needs you or other military men and women you know have? What are ways those of us on the "home front" (so to speak) could help meet those needs?
Stephen: I do know they need hygiene items. Q-tips are really handy as well as Baby Wipes. Good Gospel Tracts are perfect to send as well.
Amber: How can we pray for you specifically, as well as all those in the military?
Stephen: Pray for wisdom and guidance for leaders to make the right decisions at the right time. And to be leaders and make decisions. Pray for soldiers to stay alert and confident in their abilities and for God to help them recall information at the proper time.
Amber: Thank you for sharing with us today, Stephen!
And readers, please leave an encouraging comment for Stephen. This is a great opportunity to thank one of our military men for his service!
15 comments:
Stephen's words about choosing which battles to fight are so important. I appreciate how God is using you with your fellow soldiers, Stephen and thank you for your service. Some of my former students have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and I so admire all soldiers for their willingness to put their lives on the line for the rest of us! Blessings, Stephen and Amber!
Renee,
I agree! It can be so hard to "choose battles," so to speak, and to recognize what is and what isn't worth fighting about/for. I appreciated Stephen discussing that, as well as the way he worded it. :)
Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment for Stephen! These members of the military set such a great example of humility and sacrifice.
~Amber
It was great to "meet" Stephen! :) And I'm so glad he's taking this journey with God!!
I will keep him in my prayers.
And I love the specifics question on what to send the troops. That's something that only they could tell us, so that is very useful. :)
Thank you for serving Stephen we appreciate all you and your fellow service people do to protect us and spread the Word!
Amber keep up the great interviews!
XOXO~ Renee
Bluerose,
Thank you for stopping by! I'm sure he'll appreciate the prayers. :) And yes--it's so nice to hear from a military person himself what it is the troops need!
~Amber
Renee,
So glad you're enjoying the interviews. :) I'm excited to be officially launching the interview/profile portion of this series!
Thank you for stopping by!
~Amber
Thank you so much, Stephen for sharing. I love your point about humility and not fighting every battle...but fighting the spiritual and physical ones. Thank you so much for the sacrifices you continue to make to fight for our freedom.
Julia,
Thank you for stopping by to thank and encourage Stephen! :D
~Amber
Wow -- very thought provoking questions, Amber, but direct and to the point. I'd never thought about praying so specifically for soldiers so thank you for that.
This has totally struck home to me:
"I learned that my way was not always the right way. There are a variety of ways to get a job done and it is not worth the effort sometimes to argue about who is right and who is wrong. Save your energy for the physical and spiritual enemy."
That can definitely be carried into any life and any situation. It is a powerful witness to me.
What an awesome interview! Stephen it is an honor to meet you and I thank you so very much for what you shared here today. And, thank you for letting us know how to help and what our military men and women need, both physically and spiritually. I love that you turned the battlefield into a witness field and were able to plant and water seeds in the hearts of your fellow soldiers. You are a true hero in more ways than one :)
Like the others, I was really touched by the lessons you learned in humility. And, I couldn’t help but get teary when you said what to pray for. I can’t even imagine the chaos that erupts on a battlefield, but the God we serve is mighty and strong to save! I always claim Psalm 91 as a supernatural prayer of protection over our military, and will continue to do so :) I pray the Lord will bless you abundantly, guide you continually, and surround you with His perfect peace. Thank you, again!
Amber, I think this was an amazing idea and I pray the Lord will bless you richly for it, my friend!!
Blessings,
Amanda Stanley
Kav,
I'm so glad you benefited from the questions! :) If you have any suggestions for anything else you would like to know from military men and women, let me know!
That's such a powerful statement he made--I agree! So glad he shared that with us about humility. :)
~Amber
Amanda,
You are such an encouragement to so many people! :) Thank you for stopping by to encourage Stephen!
Also, thank you for encouraging me! I'm so thankful for everyone who visited today and participated in the new direction this series has gone. :)
~Amber
EVERYONE:
I saw Stephen today, and he came up to me to let me know that he was encouraged by the post and the comments. :)
Thank you all for encouraging Stephen and leaving comments for him! :D
~Amber
God Bless You, Stephen, and thank you for your service.
Michelle,
Thank you for stopping by! :)
~Amber
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