new track online

i just posted a new recording of “pray together”.  like all of my stuff, its out on the interwebs for free.

check it out @ joshcooksucks.com (look for the podcast page) if you are so inclined.

article on barron

  

Church of God News

Church Of God Chaplain Wounded In Iraq

By Dr. Robert D. Crick, Director, Church of God Chaplains Commission good read.

The Church of God Chaplains Commission was notified this week that Church of God Chaplain (CPT) Barron K. Wester was wounded in Iraq by sniper fire. Though the wounds were not life threatening, they were serious enough to require emergency evacuation to a major military hospital in Germany. We have been fortunate to talk to Chaplain Wester from his bedside in Germany, and also to give prayer and support to his wife, Dawn, their two children and other family members.

In dialoging with Chaplain Wester, as is typical of outstanding Church of God chaplains, he was more concerned for his soldiers than himself. Through our vast Church of God military chaplaincy network, immediately upon arriving in Germany, Army Chaplain (MAJ) Joe Melvin and Chaplain (CPT) David Hall were at Chaplain Wester’s bedside for prayer and support.

Church of God Chaplain (CPT) Barron K. Wester

Chaplain Melvin reports the following: “When I arrived to minister to Chaplain Wester, I found him ministering to PFC Richardson, who had also been wounded in the incident that created Chaplain Wester’s wounds. It was obvious this wounded soldier greatly respected his chaplain; and he was reaching out to one who could readily identify with the pain of the loss and devastating experience. The soldier, whose wounds were so serious he would be returned to the U.S., left Chaplain Wester with the words, Chaplain, when you go back down range, please take care of yourself and our units. Those soldiers really need you, especially now. This reflection came from a man who obviously was experiencing the ministry of presence and compassion of a chaplain he deeply loved and respected.”

In discussing with Chaplain Wester, he gives this overview of the incident he experienced in Iraq: Chaplain Wester’s unit was setting up advanced military outposts in the heart of Baghdad. The previous week, they had experienced many fire fights, roadside bombings and had lost soldiers. In this particular crisis, Chaplain Wester’s commander had received news that one of their small advanced units had encounter problems. Chaplain Wester, along with his chaplain’s assistant, accompanied the battalion commander to the scene. What they found was devastating. A forward military unit had been hit, with one soldier dead and others wounded. Chaplain Wester did what Army chaplains are trained to do; that is, “Nurture the living; give care to the wounded; honor the dead.” Chaplain Wester did precisely that. He immediately prayed for the families of the soldier who had been mortally wounded. He knew the pain this family would experience when the news came that their son/brother/husband/dad/friend had been lost in battle. Knowing that military comrades are traumatized in seeing one of their buddies lose his life, Chaplain Wester went about praying with soldiers as they attended to the emergency situation. Obviously, in the middle of this type of combat situation, Chaplain Wester, along with the other soldiers, were most vulnerable in a very dangerous part of Baghdad. He and his chaplain’s assistant tended to the soldiers; and at the time of the sniper fire, they were getting ready to exit the area. Apparently, the sniper round went through Chaplain Wester’s arm without any major bone damage, exited and hit another soldier. Chaplain Wester stated that his assistant pushed him under the vehicle and, with his own body, protected him from further gunfire. Chaplain Wester will never forget the courage of this dedicated soldier.

After being evacuated to a Field Hospital, Chaplain Wester was visited by his commanders with the words, “We are thankful for you, chaplain; for God’s protection. You were doing exactly what chaplains are supposed to be doing.”

It should be noted that Chaplain Wester is the first Church of God chaplain to be wounded in combat. While there have been many close calls of other chaplains, God has blessed our chaplains in a most special manner. Chaplain Wester is a graduate of our Theological Seminary, and had only been on his first deployment for six weeks. He and his wife, Dawn, have two children, Erin (6 years old) and Samuel (6 months old). He deployed with his unit out of Fort Riley, Kansas. Chaplain Wester and Dawn are long-term members of the Mount Paran-Central Church of God, where they ministered to youth.

Presently, there are many other Church of God chaplains in Iraq, Afghanistan and other critical areas. The Chaplains Commission requests that the entire Church pray for our chaplains and our troops serving in harm’s way. For additional information concerning the Church of God Chaplains Commission ministries, visit our website at: www.cogchaplains.com.

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i was especially touched by the actions of his assistant.  i know there are a lot of us who are very greatful to him. original here.

barron speaks!

check out the comments on my “barron injured” post to read a message from him.

ann’s snack shack and the ghetto burger

i spent most of my day in front of a tiny, run-down building on memorial drive (in atlanta) waiting to try america’s best burger. 

the wall street journal recently name ann’s snack shack’s ghetto burger as the greatest burger in the country, and its less than five miles from my house (exact number).  my friend ash, who has been there twice in the last year or so, vouched for the quality, so ash, joel, mike, john and i left the church around 11:15.  We didn’t know where we were going (i had no idea that it was close to my house), wo we had a brief detour, and ended getting in line around 12:15 or so. 

we didn’t eat until 3:15 (actually, joel and john ate even later). 

but the burgers definitely live up to the hype. they’re amazing. we did find that some of the info we had heard was inaccurate:

1. the ghetto burger does not come with cole slaw, jalapenos or such.  to my recollection the ghetto burger consisted of:

• toasted buns
• two GIGANTIC, cheese-covered, handmade beef patties, cooked with onions and smothered with seasoned salt.
• lettuce
• tomato
• mayo
• ketchup
• mustard
• chili
• bacon (deep-fried, natch!)

2.  ms. ann is not mean, or any kind of “nazi”, burger or otherwise.  she is in fact, quite sweet.  she’s just extremely busy and likes her restaurant run her way.

3.  the wait is anywhere from 1 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours, depending on when you arrive.  the line starts forming at 10 and they open at 11.  they are open until 7:30, but mr. ann starts closing the line around 4:00 so she can get home.

i wish i had a picture of the burger….they are just so amazingly huge.  and the flavor! oh my gosh…the combination of the seasoned salt and onions alone.

of course, i almost never eat red meat now (i can remember one time in the last 5 months) i am feeling a little queasy, even though i ate only half. 

if you’re in the atlanta area, you’ve got to go experience the ghetto burger! (but don’t tell miss ann i sent you. she doesn’t want any more customers!)

dozier centre troubles

very interesting read on the conflicts between the dozier foundation and mount paran christian school.  read here.

barron injured

my friend barron, who is an army chaplain stationed in the middle east, has been injured in an attack of some sort. i don’t know how much information is ok to disclose, so i’ll keep it vague by saying that he’ll be ok, and he’s going to be in a hospital for a few weeks.  i’m so concerned for him!  i pray often that god will keep watch over my friend.

barron, if you’re reading this, stay away from bullets!  in all seriousness, i’m more relieved than i can tell you to hear that you’ll be ok.  let me know if i can do anything for your family.

avoidance

i’m coming to terms with the fact that i’ve been avoiding my blog. i think its partly because i’ve been putting the more random bits of information (pics, funny moments, links, vids) on my tumblelog with the idea that my blog would serve as a place for long-form text posts. i think its more because my life has been nuts recently and i don’t know how to process everything.

the wedding plans alone are enough to do me in, not to mention all of the existential crises that apparently comes with being a twenty-three/twenty-four year old, especially one on the cusp of a life-long commitment.

but my uber-angst is coming out in some less conventional ways.  i’ve been writing a lot of music lately, and i’ve been more excited about it than anything i’ve done since i was a teenager.  (check out my previous post for a link to my most recently published stuff.)  i plan to continue to distribute everything that i write via the internet for free, in all of its various stages of completion.

i’ll be back when i have more to share!

new songs online

i just posted two new tracks. they’re both rough demos that i recorded this morning using the mic on my macbook.

check them out here, and subscribe to the podcast if you want to hear more.

i am engaged!

about twenty minutes ago i proposed to leah, and she accepted!  yay!  i am win!

be sure to congratulate her.  she is very excited!

return of joshcooksucks.com

my home page http://joshcooksucks.com is finally back up.  its now a landing page for all of my internet stuff.  look for more to come soon.