We’re home from our trip. Thank you for your prayers for our safe arrival. For today’s blog, here’s an interview with Jocelyn Green, the author of Faith Deployed . . . Again: More Daily Encouragement for Military Wives, a newly published book with Moody Publishers. My niece Kelly Dye is a military wife stationed in Japan and I so respect and appreciate her service for our country. We owe so much to all our military people and their spouses. I hope you’ll purchase a copy of Faith Deployed…Again to pass along to the military wife you know.
Jocelyn has offered to give a copy of Faith Deployed…Again to one of my readers. To put your name in the drawing for the free copy, please post a comment or send me an email at [email protected] letting me know you’re interested. I’ll draw out a name this Sunday, Nov. 20th.
Could you share with us the inspiration behind Faith Deployed…Again and what readers can expect from it?
The inspiration for Faith Deployed . . . Again was the same as the inspiration for the first book I wrote for military wives, Faith Deployed. Put simply, military wives need encouragement, and the best source is God’s Word.
As a former Coast Guard wife, I was so desperate for biblical encouragement that spoke directly to me. To have an opportunity to collect this type of encouragement from twenty-eight other military wives from every branch of service and have it published by Moody is an incredible gift. I never once lacked motivation to work on this project. Encouraging military wives is my heart’s passion. Plumbing the depths of God’s Word and finding new gems in it to share with other women was a deeply spiritual and satisfying experience for me.
The title of your sequel is Faith Deployed…Again. What is the significance behind the phrase “Faith Deployed,” and can the phrase (and the book itself) have meaning for those who aren’t military wives, as well?
I think of “faith deployed” as a faith called into action. Whether your military family experiences deployments or not, military life requires that we all deploy our faith in order to respond biblically to each trial we face. While this book was written by and for military wives, using illustrations from the military lifestyle, anyone who reads the book will come away with a deeper understanding of God’s Word and how it applies to trials we face. Military wives will be likely to get the most out of it, since it speaks directly to their unique lifestyle, but I have heard from many, many civilians, and men, who have also benefited from reading it.
What is the one piece of advice/recommendation you give most for wives?
Get plugged in with a church, and cultivate your relationship with Christ by reading the Bible and seeking out other women who have been through military life challenges and have still remained strong in their faith, rather than bitter about life. (If people who read the Faith Deployed books aren’t sure what I mean by having a personal relationship with Christ, there is an appendix at the back of each that explains it.) I can offer no greater hope than the hope I find in God’s word. For just a sampling of some favorite Bible verses that apply to deployments, for example, see: http://www.faithdeployed.com/2011/01/favorite-bible-verses-for-deployments/
I also tell wives to bring their troubles to God in prayer, and to let others pray for them, too. Prayer works.
I do have a page dedicated to lots of resources for military families on my Web site, and I often send women there to find some really great help out there. Many times the most helpful thing I can do is to connect women to the resources that are already available.
November is the Month of the Military Family. What are some practical ways that individuals can support the home front?
Instead of simply saying “Let me know if you need anything,” give her some ideas, perhaps in the form of a coupon booklet for free babysitting, homemade cookies, a coffee date, running errands, an hour or two of housework, etc.
Find out what’s broken and fix it. Computer problems are a big deal, especially since so many couples rely on email or Web cams to communicate. If the car is broken down, offer to give rides.
Mow the lawn, pull weeds, other yard work- cleaning out gutters—those seasonal tasks that the deployed spouse may have typically done.
Bring a meal over so that’s one less thing a stressed out spouse would have to think about.
Visiting is a great mood lifter, but ask first. And if you get a couple negative responses, don’t take it personally.
Drop off a basket of favorite foods and/or a movie rental you know she’s been wanting to see. (Other ideas for a military wife care package can be found here: http://www.faithdeployed.com/2010/02/the-reverse-care-package-a-guaranteed-way-to-bless-a-military-wife/]
Pray for her! [link to http://www.faithdeployed.com/2010/11/when-someone-asks-how-they-can-pray-for-you/]
For more about Faith Deployed…Again, including a free excerpt, visit www.faithdeployed.com/coming-soon.