Warrior Hope

Part of healing is finding something to do, something greater than your point to pour your life into. At the same time, not only is “having a mission” or a “purpose” an important facet of moving forward from the past, it’s also what we were designed to do.   Ephesians 2:8-10 tells us that: 💙 Grace saves us (not our works— meaning “good works” can’t save us and “bad deeds” can’t “unsafe us”)...

In the military, the mission was important. In fact, the mission is what matters The same is true of our call to follow Christ. Finding a new mission is essential to the warrior as they move forward.
 So, in this episode we highlight 5 truths about the “Great Commission,” including… 🎖️ Authority 👉 Sending ✅ Objectives 📈 Development ⚙️ Ongoing   (Note: this content comes from the first part...

Exfil / exfiltration occurs when warriors are quickly extracted from a combat situation. When it happens, it removes the warriors from a dangerous scenario and places the in safety. But… … it does so PHYSICALLY. And, as you know, ew’ve bee discussing the invisible wounds many warriors carry (and, we’ve said it’s NORMAL to have them). So… 5 keys to healing PTSD & Moral Injury… 🔑 Acknowledge it...

In this talk we move into the 3rd section of Disentangled. We defined the warrior (part 1, episodes 1 & 2 of this season), as well as the price they pay for serving (3 & 4). We also dove into great detail about TWO of themes common soul wounds, PTSD and Moral Injury (episodes 5, 6, 7).   The point of talking about past pain isn’t to revel in it— or compare wounds, however. The goal is...

One of the most well-known stories in the Old Testament is the episode in which David, a warrior, got lazy and didn’t go to battle… … and then took the wife of one of his elite soldiers… … and then tried to cover it up.

And then, when that didn’t work, killed the soldier. 👇 You probably know the tale, but haven’t explored it through the lenses of Moral Injury— and looked at how the actions not o...

When warriors do things that violate their conscience, their sense of right and wrong, Moral Injury often results. PTSD is a perceived threat to external circumstances. It “looks like” fight of flight (some people add freeze). Moral Injury is internal and is expressed as guilt and shame. It’s something we consistently carry with us. In this episode we talk about the differences— in the next we’ll...

If warriors don’t find healing from the past, they’ll live the present (and future) in light of it. When they find healing, they’re able to help others in new ways, imparting real hope and comfort. So, in this talk we discuss PTSD, a NORMAL response to abnormal events. And, we dialogue about the importance of: ❤️‍🩹Acknowledging the hurt = because you can’t healing a hurt you refuse to admit exist...

Perhaps the most noted price a warrior pays— the most obvious— is separation from safety. They put themselves in danger AND RUN TOWARDS it, even as others flee. Thats’ the job. And, the danger isn’t limited to battle. In fact, training accidents (and fatalities) regularly occur.   (Note: this content comes from the second part of chapter 2 in Disentangled.) ____________ Videos shared in this...

The warrior’s life is difficult. Aside from the everyday challenges everyone faces, warriors pay a unique price for serving. These can impact them even after they return home (as we explore in our latest documentary, Trauma Comes Home).   Three of the costs of serving are: 💰 Separation from family & friends 💰 Separation from one’s own self 💰 Separation from the past, from what once was...

Our “anchor verse” in Disentangled is 2 Timothy 2:3-4. Here’s the NASB version: Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him.   In episode 1 of this series we noted that warriors unite around a common oath— they have throughout history. They also, as we...

In this new series we talk about Disentangled, our latest resource for warriors. This one is unique in that it is a 6-lesson Bible study about: ⭐️ What it means to be a warrior ⭐️ The price required to serve ⭐️ How to overcome the pains of the past and step into a new mission   Here’s a summary of where we’re headed— 🪢 By necessity, warriors entangle themselves in "soldiering." They set a...

You’re not stuck. That is, you ALWAYS have a next best step. Sometimes, the steps are so small you can hardly see any distance between them at all— and you wonder, “Am I actually getting anywhere?” Other times, you take big strides and you can SEE the difference. As long as you’re moving FORWARD… … no matter how fast or slow… … you’ll find and fulfill the purpose for which you were designed. (And,...

When one of us experiences a “win” and feels joy, we all do… And when one of us suffers, likewise, we all feel it… Especially when we live under the same roof. In this episode of the #WarriorHope podcast we continue the conversation we began in the previous talk—

I learned this one the hard way… If one person in the family is dealing with a tough emotional hurt, then EVERYONE in the family is affected, everyone— whether they see it or not— needs help and healing. ❤️‍🩹 It’s easy to see when it’s not emotional or a soul-trauma… For instance, if ONE person in the family has cancer, everyone’s schedule will adjust. Or if ONE person in the family has the surge...

It’s easier to move through the pains of the past when you begin serving a greater purpose, something larger than yourself… … something that moves your sole focus off you and places it on something bigger. For sure, you DO need to deal with the hurts of the past— lest you keep re-reading the present (and future) in light of those past pain-points. At the same time, though, you’ve got to choose to...

Life is both good AND life is hard. The military is the same way. It’s easy to look back at any experience that was tough or— let’s even go further and use this word— traumatic— and presume the entire ordeal was bad. But life— and “all the things” in it— doesn’t work that way. We’ve got to learn to hold it all in tension, as well as tell ourselves the most honest story about our circumstances. Emb...

Healing Moral Injury— which manifests as guilt and shame— is radically different than the cure for PTSD. Part of the problems with guilt & shame is that they not only LOVE the dark (and hate the light), but they also GROW in the dark. They keep us tucked there… But, freedom is found in the light. Freedom occurs when we meet acceptance, find forgiveness, and realize we’re not alone. Listen in…...

Sometimes, well-intended deeds have bad outcomes. We often assume— as it pertains to military service— that only combat veterans can develop PTSD or Moral Injury. Turns out, anyone who serves can. 💔 Many times this occurs because of what we do or so— even not in combat. 💔 Many times it takes the form of survivor’s guilt. 💔Many times it looks like questions and doubts about things that happened…...

Many times in the military you’re forced to do things that go against your conscience— and even do things that aren’t natural. 👉 Marching all night… 👉Standing watch for the inevitable… 👉Taking the life of another in order to protect the innocent. Even though we can rationalize all of this— and “explain” that they are things that HAD to be done in order to help others, they still extract a toll…...

You can’t diagnose every issue that you need to address… … because some of the stuff you need to take care of isn’t diagnosable.   For instance— ⚙️ you may not be obese, but you might could stand to drop a few pounds. ⚙️ you might not have diabetes, but you might could stand to change-up up the diet and ingest less sugar ⚙️ you might not have a sleeping disorder, but you might could stand to...

Diagnosing emotional stuff is (sometimes) hard, because… 👉 we each respond to hurts in different ways 👉 we bring different pasts to the event— baggage that already weighs us down differently 👉 it’s part art and part science to sort it all But, there are some objective questions we can ask and begin the process of exploration. And, whereas we don’t want to “invent” an issue that doesn’t exist, w...

“Get over it!” You might have heard someone say that to you before. In fact, you might have even dispensed that advice yourself. 👀 But do you really “get over” certain losses, or do you grieve them, heal the hurts, allow them to become sacred parts of your story, and get THROUGH them… … changed for the better (while still honoring and holding the loss in tension) and empowered to help others on t...

We’ve got a knack for “underplaying” what we’ve been through and over-playing what others have endured. We don’t need to play the comparison game, though… Trauma is trauma is trauma is… regardless of where it came from. 🔥 The best approach? Rather than comparing the origin stories of each, rally together and walk towards healing and wholeness. We may have uncommon beginnings, but we can seek a co...

Been through a tough seasons, hard scenario, or difficult circumstance and wondered, "What's wrong with me?" on the other side of it...? You're not flawed. It's natural to feel like the wind got knocked out of you when you get punched hard. 💔 In this episode of the Warrior Hope podcast we discuss combat trauma specifically, and note that— yes— going outside the wire changes people. In fact, it wo...

In Episode 2 of this season's #WarriorHope podcast, we talk about PTSD-- a common occurrence when we find ourselves reacting to external events in the present "as if" we're still in the past. Yes, it's common. What's uncommon is the diagnosis (and it should be uncommon).   In this talk we go back to the basics and describe what PTSD is, where it comes from, and how we can ALL benefit from "no...