Coast Guard Day: August 4
How timely. It's Coast Guard Day. And former Coast Guard wife Jocelyn Green has authored another resource for military families: Faith Deployed…Again: More Daily Encouragement for Military Wives (Moody Publishers, July 2011). With the help of twenty-eight contributing authors from every branch of the military, she has produced this devotional book that follows her award-winning book, Faith Deployed (Moody, 2008). Even before, but especially since, September 11, 2001, deployments and troops have served as a staple of our daily news diet. Now Faith Deployed…Again addresses the timeless need for spiritual encouragement among our heroes at home. In it Jocelyn answers a few questions about her passion for supporting military wives. Here are a few samples: If the troops are coming home soon from Afghanistan, do we still really need this book? Yes. Faith Deployed…Again encourages military spouses during all the seasons of a career, regardless of where they stand in the deployment cycle. Only one of the book’s eight sections is devoted to deployments. The military lifestyle brings plenty of other challenges even without deployments. The biblical concepts illustrated in the book will strengthen and encourage military wives during times of both peace and war. What challenges may go unnoticed by civilians? When the deployment ends and the husband comes home, it’s not always “happily ever after.” The family faces a big adjustment period, and many times reintegration is more difficult than the deployment itself, especially if the returning spouse is dealing with combat-trauma stress. Since every relocation comes as a result of the active duty member’s orders, it’s difficult to avoid feeling like “just a tag-along.” Multiple moves and deployments call for stamina and perseverance. Many spouses are energized by the frequent moves, but it’s also exhausting to learn one’s way around new communities every two or three years. Faith Deployed . . . Again addresses these issues and more. How can civilians provide support? · Offer some ideas of what kind of help you can give, perhaps in the form of a coupon booklet for free babysitting, homemade cookies, a coffee date, running errands, or an hour or two of housework. · Find out what’s broken and fix it. Computer problems are a big deal, especially since so many couples rely on e-mail or webcams to communicate. If the car breaks down, offer rides. · Mow the lawn, pull weeds, and clean out gutters. Do those seasonal tasks that the deployed spouse would have done. · Bring a meal over. That’s one less thing a stressed-out spouse would have to think about. · Make a quick phone call. “I’m thinking about you.” · Drop off a basket of favorite foods and/or a movie rental. · Pray. You could also give a copy of Faith Deployed . . . Again! For reviews, author bios, and a free excerpt, go here.
