Has loneliness during deployment caused you to “talk to yourself”? Do you often feel that no one understands your situation? Perhaps you have experienced that your family . . . . your neighbor. . . . maybe even your spouse does not really understand what you are going through. Well-meaning people may offer a listening ear, but sometimes that just doesn’t help! I think we've all been there.
Excellent or Praiseworthy is posted on Monday and Thursday nights. “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” —…
Excellent or Praiseworthy is posted on Monday and Thursday nights. The LORD is faithful to all His promises and loving toward all He has made. — Psalm 145:13b Is discouragement ruling your thoughts? Have you despaired at the trials of…
Excellent or Praiseworthy is posted on Monday and Thursday nights. The LORD looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men; From His dwelling place He looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth, He who fashions the…
How Jesus healed me from PTSD is truly a powerful redemptive work of grace in my life, but the recovery did not happen overnight. On my second deployment to Iraq (from August 2006 to October 2007) I served with the 1-26 Infantry Battalion, which sustained more casualties than any other military unit since Vietnam. We lost 35 soldiers and over 130 were wounded. Many of the wounded ended up as amputees. I conducted 24 memorial ceremonies for our fallen soldiers, provided over 200 hours of grief counseling, and was also wounded due to an IED blast. Before returning home I began experiencing what behavioral health experts call “burn out” and “compassion fatigue.”
Editor’s Note: Heather McColl Morgan, a favorite writer for Excellent or Praiseworthy, wrote this posting when she was deployed. We are grateful that she took some time to reflect and share these thoughts with us before returning home. Excellent or…
Excellent or Praiseworthy is posted on Monday and Thursday nights. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also…
Excellent or Praiseworthy is posted on Monday and Thursday nights. God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble. — Psalm 46:1 I sought the LORD, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears…
It is a beautiful thing to see a couple get through something that challenges them in every area of their lives (like a deployment)—and because of faith they do not give up. When the deployment is over, they can look back over the months of discouragement/loneliness/fear and say with confidence, “My God took me through this.” And what if things did not go easily—struggles with children/finances/ temptations/health?
In 1879 it became practice for the first verse of this hymn to be sung at the conclusion of chapel services on Sundays at the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis. Through the years, verses have been adapted to “The Navy Hymn” to reflect naval service by aviators, submariners, Seabees, SEALS, Marines, military families, and others who serve nobly.