George Tyger > Quotes

“When he said that the Kingdom of God is spread out upon the earth, he was telling them that justice, goodness, peace, and all those things denied them by the elites of the world were not anyone’s exclusive possession but the inheritance of all people.”
― George Tyger, War Zone Faith: An Army Chaplain's Reflections from Afghanistan

“Whatever religious tradition you call your own, you will probably find religious diversity even within it. We can believe we mean the same things when we use highly charged theological terms like God, Christ, Bible, or church teachings. Yet these words convey layers of meaning, not discrete definitions. It is important to remember this and do our own mental translations as we communicate with each other.”
― George Tyger, War Zone Faith: An Army Chaplain's Reflections from Afghanistan

“I wonder if there is any good to be found here, but I also know these are the times when I must look even harder.”
― George Tyger, War Zone Faith: An Army Chaplain's Reflections from Afghanistan

“the Father’s kingdom is spread out upon the earth, and people don’t see it.” Waiting patiently will not bring us to God’s Kingdom; we must discover it for ourselves. If it is spread out upon the earth, we can find it wherever we are.”
― George Tyger, War Zone Faith: An Army Chaplain's Reflections from Afghanistan

“This is the balance of possibilities and limits. The possibilities: reaching the top, hitting on a great idea, realizing a vision of justice and peace, or just getting through the deployment and getting home. The limits: an uncertain course, unstable footing, the dangers of this place, waning physical and emotional stamina. We have hopes, dreams, goals we seek to make real in our lives. We struggle with fear, loneliness, hardship. We must navigate the obstacles while keeping our sights on all that is possible.”
― George Tyger, War Zone Faith: An Army Chaplain's Reflections from Afghanistan

“Then I look again. I imagine I am not held captive by the finite days ahead, but embraced by the infinite Truth beyond. I know somehow that the same mystery and wonder that embrace me embrace my family, embrace all. In a real sense, if just for a moment, embraced by God, I am home.”
― George Tyger, War Zone Faith: An Army Chaplain's Reflections from Afghanistan

“Like smoke rising into the sky, each moment will fade away into the next and the next and the next. Will you be present for the next moment of your life? It’s always up to you.”
― George Tyger, War Zone Faith: An Army Chaplain's Reflections from Afghanistan

“The meaning of whatever job or mission you are currently engaged in is determined by how you choose to do it, how you conduct yourself. This is the calling we make for ourselves day in and day out as we live our lives. It is the calling we all have to be the fully human beings we are created to be.”
― George Tyger, War Zone Faith: An Army Chaplain's Reflections from Afghanistan

“We can hold the finite. We must allow the infinite to hold us. Mistaking the two leads to disappointment when the finite slips from our grasp and we are left reaching for empty air.”
― George Tyger, War Zone Faith: An Army Chaplain's Reflections from Afghanistan

“How many moments will youspendsomewhere you would rather not be? How many moments will you reallylive wherever you are? Those are two different questions. If we spend our moments in regret or worry, if we see the bad in it all, then the moments will grind by one bad day after another and we won’t really be living but existing, waiting for “real” life to begin.”
― George Tyger, War Zone Faith: An Army Chaplain's Reflections from Afghanistan

“One of the great mistakes is to confuse ultimate mystery with finite reality. We want to understand things, so we bring them down to our level. But some things can only be felt in our souls as awe and wonder.”
― George Tyger, War Zone Faith: An Army Chaplain's Reflections from Afghanistan

“This courage to endure is more difficult to find than the courage required for a one-time act of heroism. This everyday courage to drive on day in, day out requires more than overcoming fear. It requires us to overcome ourselves.”
― George Tyger, War Zone Faith: An Army Chaplain's Reflections from Afghanistan

“It is easy to pray for things to be better, or different, or just easier. In my experience, these prayers are rarely answered. I don’t think prayer works that way anyway. The power of prayer does not lie in its ability to change the world we live in as much as in its potential to change we who live in the world.”
― George Tyger, War Zone Faith: An Army Chaplain's Reflections from Afghanistan

“We look out across the city. Children play as well-armed soldiers stroll the streets. In the distance, the earth curves and the horizon falls away. So much possibility. So many limits.”
― George Tyger, War Zone Faith: An Army Chaplain's Reflections from Afghanistan