Donald W. Smith (ThM, 1993) has served as a U.S. Army chaplain for twenty-two years. In addition to his active and reserve military service, Donald has experience in hospital chaplaincy and currently serves as an on-call hospital chaplain in Kentucky. He and his wife, Penelope, have been married for twenty-nine years, and they both look forward to celebrating many more years together, supporting the people the Lord places under their care.
Donald and Penelope love to travel. While stationed in Germany, they spent their weekends traipsing across Europe; during their stint in the Middle East, they explored Israel, Egypt, and Dubai. They also enjoy staying physically fit while savoring the foodie life—a healthy hobby combo. The couple adopted a dog, Chappy (paying homage to Donald’s role), who joined them in Germany. Even Chappy has a ministry, serving the Wounded Warrior Project.
On September 11, 2001, the Lord laid it on Donald’s heart to care for soldiers and their families. Around that time, Donald also started serving as a hospital chaplain. He counts it a privilege to be present in the hospitals, to witness the beginning and end of earthly life, and to provide pastoral care to everyone, no matter their role—patient, family member, or staff. Donald makes it his mission to let his light shine, doing good to everyone so that they might glorify God.
Donald enjoys the variety that accompanies chaplaincy. Whether walking on the base or in hospital halls, he spends time connecting with God’s image bearers from all different backgrounds and listening for opportunities to share the gospel. Challenges accompany chaplaincy, too, sometimes hard challenges—a lieutenant with a hurt-hardened heart whose eyes glaze over while listening, a man with gunshot wounds walking into the ER, a parent whose hands press against the cold NICU glass. No matter the crisis, Donald must remain situationally aware and figure out how to provide a calming presence. His role requires the same quiet spirit Jesus displayed when he calmed the storm. He must connect with those who are hurting—whether it’s a soldier, a patient, a military family, or the hospital staff. He assesses their spiritual situation and looks for ways to support them, not taking offense if they reject chaplain support. When things get hard, Donald clings to his calling and prays. Prayer keeps Donald grounded. He leans on the Father, and the Father’s support helps him support others.
DTS primarily equipped Donald for chaplaincy through relationships, starting with his fellow students, especially his first-year classmates. Donald and his Lincoln Hall buddies spent time discussing their classes, running to Chili’s for study breaks, and playing intermural basketball. He remembers one notably challenging game where his team lost a match to their professors by one embarrassing point. Those Lincoln Hall men still equip Donald today.
Donald’s relationships with his professors also prepared him for ministry. He had so many wonderful professors, but Dr. Constable (ThM, 1966; ThD, 1969) stood out. One time, when he invited Donald’s friend group over for dinner, Dr. Constable and his wife, Mary, opened the door and greeted Donald by name. Even though Dr. Constable’s classes were huge, he and his wife prayed for each student by name; as it turned out, they had attached the students’ pictures to their names on the class roster. Dr. Constable also flipped through his students’ prayer cards on his regular drive between the campus and Plano. Although they didn’t have any children, Dr. Constable and Mary felt that God had entrusted them with the privilege of loving students well. Their model of prayer deeply impacted Donald, who now prays for his soldiers by name.
Prayer sustains Donald and his ministry. In the book A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World, Paul E. Miller says that “dependency is the heartbeat of prayer.” Miller goes on to write that “a praying life isn’t simply a morning prayer time; it is about slipping into prayer at odd hours of the day, not because we are disciplined but because we are in touch with our own poverty of spirit, realizing that we can’t even walk through our neighborhood without the help of the Spirit of Jesus.” This fallen world throws chaplains to their knees, over and over again, making them more aware of their constant human need: dependence on God. Our need to depend never ceases, and neither should our prayers. In 1 Thessalonians 5:17, Paul calls believers to pray without ceasing. He roots his call to ceaseless prayer in God’s finished action—God destined believers for salvation through Jesus Christ so that, awake or asleep, they live with him.
Our need to depend on the Lord never ends, and neither does our access to heaven’s throne room. Ceaseless prayer implies ceaseless access, ceaseless proximity to God. Donald leans on his Father in the heavenly throne room, inviting those on army bases and in hospital rooms to lean on his God’s sure and steady support. God’s arms are open, ready for you to lean into him, too. Depend on the Lord.
Morgan E. Underwood (ThM, 2023) is an administrative assistant for the Alumni and Career Services Office at Dallas Theological Seminary. She is also a Theological Studies PhD student and writer. She is married to her husband, An Dau, and they, along with their black cat, call Dallas home.