No Atheists in Foxholes, No Christians in Bombshelters

Well, I have decided to join the blogging world. I think it will be much easier to keep all of our friends and family in the loop about how we are doing! I guess in this first post it is fitting to describe our life as it sits right now. As you all know, Mike and I decided (after much prayer and deliberation) to reinlist in the Marine Corps. I know this shocked and even concerned many people. We are aware that the decision does not make "sense" in the worldly understanding of the word sense - but we still hold fast to the notion that faith does not need to make sense to the world. In fact, it should do just the opposite.
About a year ago Mike and I decided that we wanted to take a journey of faith. We were not sure where that would lead us or when it would begin. We began to pray that God would bring an opportunity into our lives and put a mission in our hearts. He answered that prayer with reinlistment. By reinlisting in the Marine Corps, we put our future in the hands of the Lord. We prayed that he would move us where we were needed, and bring us into contact with people who needed the love of Christ in their lives.
The concept of tentmaker missionaries comes to mind. Tentmaker missionaries are missionaries who work to support themselves while on the mission field. The jobs they hold are merely a means to the real work God has called them to: helping save the lost. This is as close to describing what Mike and I are doing as possible. We feel we have truly opened ourselves to the call of God in our lives. This call, at times, has not been easy to listen to. God's call has forced us to abandon our secure lives on the plateau and follow Him on a journey uphill. But there is comfort as well. As Rick Atchley puts it, "faith isn't knowing where you're going but simply knowling who called you."
I feel that for too long my faith has been defined by what I don't do instead of by what I am doing. In the past I have mistaken my ability to be a good person as a reflection of my faith. And while part of faithfulness is obeying God's commands, the other part of faithfulness is demonstrated by our action for the Lord. The Great Commission gives a clear command: GO.
We are not guaranteed success in our journey, but that is part of faithfulness. Failing at doing something great for God is better than succeeding at doing nothing at all.
To conclude I will end with two great quotes:
"The call of God is the call to abandon false securities for new possibilities." - Rick Atchley
"We live life trying to arrive at death as safely as possible. Instead of praying 'if I die before I wake,' we should be praying, 'wake me up before I die." - Tony Campolo

Thus, I return to the title of this post. It has been said there can be no atheists in foxholes. As Christians we should be living in such a way that it makes people say there can be no Christians in bombshelters.
"Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see."
Hebrews 11:1 (NLT)