I spend alot of time with words. Choosing the right words is critical to any communication. It remains to be seen if even I can come up with enough words to fill a blog for an entire month! There is a particular word that is bothering me today. It is the word troop.

I'm writing this before I've heard President Obama speak Tuesday evening about a troop build-up in Afghanistan. So while you are reading this posting, you have benefit of knowing what I can only speculate for now. I don't know what word our President will use to describe the thousands more men and women who soon will be deployed. Soldiers? Forces? Troops?

Perhaps it doesn't ultimately matter, but to me the word troop allows us a certain distance from the reality that these are young -- and not so young -- men and women. "Mothers do not kiss their troop goodbye as he takes off for Anbar Province. One will never encounter a troop learning to use her prosthetic leg. We do not designate the content of a body bag as a troop," quoting John McWhorter, linguist and author of The Power of Babel.

The decision has been made, and I will support our President in what must have been a decision of both strategy and anguish. I will also pray for the men and women -- soldiers and Marines -- who leave home and family for the rugged terrain of Afghanistan. It will be a prayer for their personal lives and personal safety, even while serving together as American troops in a foreign land.

Blessings,
Pastor Kris

A suggeston for prayer this day: The men and women of our Armed Forces currently serving and soon to be deployed. And for their families at home.