A Navy Chaplain has been introducing an extensive new Bible study for the U.S. Marines under his care.
Trevor Carpenter has spent months working with the military men on a
H.E.A.R. program. H.E.A.R. is a Bible study method that stands for Highlight, Explain, Apply and Respond, and was developed by pastor Robby Gallaty, senior pastor of Long Hollow Baptist Church in Hendersonville, Tenn.
Carpenter, who has been running the course with a whole crew of marines and their wives, hopes it will strengthen the brave men and women in their faith as they discharge their military duties.
“I currently have around 70 Marines and their spouses digging into Scripture each week through the H.E.A.R. journaling method,” Carpenter told Baptist Press.
Pastor Gallaty discovered the unique study method within the “CSB Disciple’s Study Bible” and built program on the foundations of this fantastic resource.
“Being in the military, I’m a pretty programed guy,” Carpenter said. “So when I picked up a copy of the ‘Disciple’s Study Bible,’ I decided to go through its journaling plan as a self-guided Bible study. It became the meat and potatoes of spiritual growth for my wife and I while I was stationed [in Norfolk, Va.].”
After being transferred to a base in Hawaii, Carpenter quickly found a small community of believers who were keen to meet and study the Bible together. Not long after arriving, a group was up and running, and a number of couples were requesting that Carpenter disciple them in the faith.
“Because they’re military, they got out their military journals and asked how to use the H.E.A.R. method to study the Word,” Carpenter explained. “Since then, we’ve been meeting in a living room every Wednesday night to discuss what we study and journal about throughout the week.”
The chaplain said he was “now taking four different groups through the H.E.A.R. method of studying Scripture.”
“I have people coming up to me every week saying, ‘Will you teach me how to open up the Bible?'” he added.
And if that wasn’t enough, the chaplain said he has come into contact with several marines who are intending on entering vocational ministry upon completing their service.
For Carpenter, these stories spur him on to keep partnering with God in this exciting mission work.
“I’ve gone on dives with SEAL teams, shotguns with Marines and have been on warships in downrange deployments, but I’m a missionary the same way a missionary to China is a missionary,” he said. “They’re learning Chinese; I’m just learning military language. And I’m wearing the clothes and speaking the language of my people.”
“I’m in it because people need to find Jesus.”
Praise God!