OCF Crosspoint Podcast

A few months ago, I received an email from LT Sam Alexander, USN, wanting to tell me how much appreciated hearing the stories on this podcast—especially in a hectic environment where it's not always easy to make time for the Lord, as he says. Today, Sam will share some of his story, and he'll give a peek into submarine culture, how isolation can have an impact on one's faith, and the importance of...

This episode marks the end of an intentional four-episode focus on identity. Last week, I interviewed Grant Johnson about his dream to be a jet pilot and how he wrapped up his identity in what he hoped would be his military career. Today you're going to hear from his wife, LT Hannah Johnson, USN, as she talks about her struggles with spiritual perfectionism, and as she says, the fear of being a fr...

Think about something in your life that you really, really wanted. It was always on your mind, and when you had the chance to finally grab hold of whatever it was you were wanting or striving toward, you came up short. As we continue this multi-episode focus on the topic of identity, you're going to hear from LT Grant Johnson, USN, as he shares his story of dreaming to be a jet pilot, only to come...

In this episode, OCF Communications Intern Joshua Schumacher interviews MAJ Lynda Johnson, USA (Ret.). Who am I? That was the big question behind the article that I wrote for COMMAND magazine in the fall of 2020. The article, which focused on the topic of identity, briefly included the story of Lynda Johnson and how her identity was shaken after she was told she couldn't run anymore unless she wan...

Christian athlete and Marine aviator are two things first lieutenant Aaron Zimmerman wanted to be known for. Aaron comes from a family that absolutely loves lacrosse, and he says, "if my family had its own crest, it would include a lacrosse stick." Aaron's story is one that deals not only with the struggles of how we want to define ourselves, but also how God is continually working in our lives, c...

On the evening of Jan. 23, 2015, Marine Corps Maj Elizabeth Betsy Kealey and Capt Adam Satterfield were piloting their helicopter above the high desert landscape of Twentynine Palms, Calif., when a catastrophic malfunction caused the Huey to plummet to the ground. Both Marines died in the crash.  Kealey graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy with honors in 2005, and she received her pilot's wings i...

Capt Rico Lane, USAF, shares his story of military life at the intersection of faith, family, and profession. His "blessedtimony" (that's a nod to his ministry, Blessedtimony) includes three primary themes. First, a big part of his story revolves around fatherhood: how our earthly fathers can often influence what we think about our Heavenly Father. Faith is a second theme in his story. You'll hear...

Today, Capt Becky Haggerty, USAF, shares her story of military life at the intersection of faith, family, and profession. This episode starts with an original composition from Becky called "I Speak." She wrote the song in 2015 and says it's about praying to God and feeling like He's just not hearing you. That's a theme that she says would become more applicable in the coming years. You see, Becky'...

In this episode, you'll hear the story of 2nd Lt Chip Chu, USAF. When I interviewed Chip over a year ago, he was still a Firstie at the Air Force Academy. COVID-19 wasn't exactly a household word yet. There was no point of reference or context for things like "flatten the curve," "social distancing," "wear your mask"… or who could forget the "8pm howl" for first responders and medical personnel in...

OCF Crosspoint returns April 26 with a new season and new stories of military life at the intersection of faith, family, and profession.  In some of the episodes coming up this season, you'll find that struggling through adversity is at least one common thread as guests tell their stories. They all went through their own type of liminal space: They all struggled with the loss of what was, and they...

Today, you're going to hear the story of Midshipman Isaiah Walker, he's a senior in the ROTC program at Ole Miss who has struggled with isolation and the challenges of integrating faith and profession. I first heard about Isaiah from Lt Col Tom Falconer, USAF (Ret.). Tom's a longtime OCF member, and he's also a local leader and area coordinator in the Colorado Springs area.  What caught my attenti...

If you've been around OCF long enough, then you've no doubt heard about the importance that OCF places on small group fellowships—after all, fellowship is one of our spiritual pillars and it's even in our name. Well, today you're going to hear the story of Joshua and Lindsey Bowen, both captains in the Army. And, while their story contains a few themes, such as mentoring, leadership, and spiritual...

Have you ever been invited to do something only to wonder…why did I agree to that? My guest today went through something like that, and ultimately, it might have saved her life and the lives of her children. Today, I'm going to share with you the story of CDR Carlos and Sara Estevez, USCG. Carlos is a medical officer assigned to the US Coast Guard Academy. He and Sara arrived at the academy in 201...

Episode 52 show notes Have you ever known anyone who's been passed over for promotion? Maybe it's your name that wasn't on the promotion list. Today you're going to hear from COL Stu McRae, USA (Ret). When the 1997 promotion list was due to be officially released, a friend called him to say, "Stu, this is the hardest thing I've ever had to do. I'm sorry, but your name isn't on the list."  It was a...

Happy New Year and thanks for joining me for the first Crosspoint podcast of 2020. Today, we're focusing on the topic of personal transformation with my guest, Col Darren Duke, United States Marine Corps. Col Duke is the Deputy Director of Operations at Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps in Washington, DC. He is a career intelligence and special operations officer and has commanded Marine and Joint s...

As 2019 comes to an end—with several weeks of travel in my future plus the Christmas holidays—I'm taking a break from the podcast and sharing a series of encore episodes with you. Starting in January, you'll get to hear some fresh, new interviews. As a reminder: encore episodes are episodes that I selected from among the early days of the podcast, and each encore episode will feature only a portio...

As 2019 comes to an end, with several weeks of travel in my future plus the Christmas holidays, I'm taking a break from the podcast and sharing a series of encore episodes with you. Starting in January, you'll get to hear some fresh, new interviews. In case you're wondering: encore episodes are episodes that I selected from among the early days of the podcast because I think they have a great mess...

As 2019 comes to an end, I'm taking a break from the podcast. So, between now and the end of the year, you're going to hear a series of encore episodes. These are episodes that I selected from among the early days of the podcast because I think they have a great message for you—an evergreen message you might call it. Each encore episode will feature only a portion of the original interview, so I e...

What do you think of when I say, "Military Sisterhood"? That was the question Kristin Goodrich posed to about 50 women at the beginning of a weekend retreat last March at OCF's White Sulphur Springs Conference Center. One West Point cadet's response stood out amid the varied responses, "Sisterhood? What sisterhood?" Today you're going to hear from Kristin, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate who is now...

May a Christian serve in the military? When it comes to taking the life of an enemy combatant, how does someone reconcile that with Jesus's command to love your enemy and to pray for him? This past August in Pensacola, Fla., a group of military men and women came together for a panel discussion that addressed a topic they titled "Can you be a Christian and serve in the military?" About 40 to 50 pe...

The story of Captain Nick Koza, USMC, has a few striking similarities with that of the apostle Paul when he was converted on the road to Damascus. However, that's not to imply Captain Koza was going around persecuting and arresting Christians—because he wasn't—but the fact that he wasn't a believer, then was blinded and cared for by some guys he hardly knew, and through that process became a follo...

// Episode 44 show notes What comes to mind when you hear that someone had a "mountaintop experience"? Maybe you think about Moses, who hiked back down the mountainside literally glowing because he had been in the presence of God. Or Peter, James, and John—the inner circle of Jesus—who saw Jesus in His true, divine nature as he was transfigured right in front of them. You might recall that was an...

Have you ever thought about what it means to be a good steward of your time? Maybe you can recall getting to the end of a day and thinking, "Why did I waste so much time?" Joining me on the show to talk about time stewardship is LTC Gil Jacobs, USA (Ret.). He was also my guest back in episode 18 , when we talked about transformational leadership. Today, LTC Jacobs and I will talk about his new boo...

//About today's guest Jeff Struecker enlisted in the United States Army as an Infantryman at age 18 and retired as a Chaplain with over 22 years of active federal service. In 2017, he was inducted into the US Army Ranger Hall of Fame. He served for ten years in the 75th Ranger Regiment in positions from Private to Platoon Sergeant. While serving in this unit, Jeff competed in and won the David L....

My guest today is Michelle Qureshi. Michelle is a graduate of the United States Coast Guard Academy, and she served 9 years in the military, leaving the Coast Guard as a Lieutenant. If that last name sounds familiar, then it's probably because you're familiar with speaker and author Nabeel Qureshi. He's Michelle's late husband who wrote two NY Times bestsellers, "Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus" and...