ChristianMilitaryWives

This month we are celebrating the military child—and while we’re at it, let’s remember the military teen, as well. Teenagers have enough to deal with as they navigate the passage to adulthood, but when you add a deployed or recovering veteran parent to the mix, life can be too complicated too handle without some help.

That’s why I was so excited to learn about two wonderful books written just for your teenagers. My Story: Blogs by Four Military Teens and Finding my Way: A Teen’s Guide to Living with a Parent Who Has Experienced Trauma. Both of these were written by Dr. Michelle Sherman, clinical psychologist and the director of the Family Mental Health Program at the Oklahoma City Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and DeAnne Sherman, Michelle’s mother and a teacher with more than 40 years of experience with teens.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va., Nov. 3, 2009 - To help stem the tide of the PTSD epidemic facing military troops and families, Military Ministry and the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Foundation of America have partnered to host two free training workshops from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. November 13 and 14 in Houston.  These “How to Start and Lead a PTSD Care Group” workshops will help participants understand PTSD and equip them to help troops and veterans who are dealing with the ravages of war and combat trauma.

America's men and women in uniform are returning home from war with both visible and invisible wounds.  One of the most far-reaching and devastating invisible wounds of war is PTSD. Today, one in five returning troops are being diagnosed with serious post-traumatic stress symptoms, including PTSD.  The spike in PTSD rates has been attributed to the sky-rocketing levels of suicide in the military as well as high divorce rates.  In 2009, Army suicides have exceeded fatalities in Iraq and Afghanistan combined; and for troops suffering from combat trauma, two out of three of their marriages are failing.

As such, PTSD does not just affect troops, their spouses and children, but also the communities in which they live now and for generations to come. We invite concerned individuals to come to these workshops held Friday at Encourager Church and Saturday at Lakewood Church. Participants will learn more about PTSD, be trained to lead small groups and help walk those suffering from combat trauma through the healing process. 

“Military Ministry is excited to partner with the PTSD Foundation of America as we seek to train and equip tens of thousands of individuals on behalf of our troops and their families,” said Major General (Ret.) Bob Dees, executive director of Military Ministry.  “We are excited to invite you to help us offer hope to our troops by joining this corps of compassion.”

To register for this free event, go to http://bthshouston09.eventbrite.com or contact Military Ministry at 1-800-444-6006.

Media interested in covering this event or speaking to MG Dees should e-mail rachel.sherburne@militaryministry.org or call Rachel Sherburne at 757-928-7254 for more information.

Today I learned about a wonderful new nonprofit Web site called PrayerCentral.net, which offers meaningful prayers for the troops. Read my brief blog post about it, or continue reading for the Web site's official news release:

A Christian Web site dedicated to prayer has launched the Afghanistan Prayer Patrol to help Christians around the world pray for the troops serving in Afghanistan.

Prayercentral.net founder Wayne Dillard is directing this global prayer effort in response to the rising casualty figures in this conflict. "August was the deadliest month we've seen in eight years," says Dillard. "I believe prayer can make a difference, so we are asking Christians to join us for just one minute a day to stand with the troops."

Those joining the online Prayer Patrol receive a daily e-mail assignment with a sample illustrated prayer. Participants also receive news updates, and satellite maps with close up views of Afghanistan regions designated as hot spots for prayer.

Dillard, an ordained minister of the Vineyard Christian Fellowship, has seen what prayer can do. "In April 2007, when the Iraq war was almost lost, we launched the Baghdad Prayer Patrol, and saw dramatic results," he says. "It's time now for us to stand with our troops in Afghanistan and join together in prayer."

One special feature is the Troop Prayer Focus, which provides a prayer for the troops of a different base or outpost in Afghanistan each day. "This way we can focus prayer on those bases where the fighting is most intense," Dillard explains.

The Web site also allows participants to post their own prayers for the troops in Afghanistan, and agree in prayer with others. Information on the Afghanistan Prayer Patrol is available at www.prayercentral.net/patrols/afghan.

About Prayercentral.net

Prayercentral's online prayer tools help thousands each day to touch needs around the world in prayer. Founded in 2001 by Wayne Dillard a missionary to South Asia, and former vice president of Last Days Ministries. Prayercentral is a non-profit ministry with headquarters in Virginia Beach, Va. For more information visit: www.prayercentral.net

by Jocelyn Green, author of Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragement for Military Wives

Ever since I’ve known them, I’ve been a fan of Dr. Gary and Barb Rosberg, America’s Family Coaches and authors of Guard Your Heart, 6 Secrets to a Lasting Love, Healing the Hurt in Your Marriage and more. I first met them when my husband and I attended a marriage retreat for military couples on Veteran’s Day weekend, 2006; it seems that their heart for the military marriage has only grown since then.

Now, they are offering military couples FREE membership to The Great Marriage Experience. Click here to see a brief two-minute video describing all the benefits you’ll receive. Note the button at the top right corner of that Web page-click it to send an email stating you’d like to sign up for your free membership. Be sure to mention that you are military. To see a more detailed list of what you’ll get from your membership, see this page and look at the “member” column–normally a $9 per month subscription, but free to you. I hope you’ll take advantage of these great resources!

For more spiritual support, inspiration and resources for military wives, visit www.faithdeployed.com.

by Jocelyn Green, author of Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragement for Military Wives

From now until Veteran’s Day (November 11, 2009), you can purchase Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragement for Military Wives at a discount. Instead of the normal $9.99 retail price for one copy, I’m offering two books for $12 (plus shipping)! Yes, you can order just one copy and still get 40 percent off ($6 each), but I’m hoping the reduced price will encourage many of you to purchase one for yourself and one for a friend. And by all means, if you have lots of friends, order more than two copies! I will sign each one. Shipping is only $1.50 for the first book and $1 for each additional book.

For more information about the book, click here or read book reviews written by military wives like Alicia Smith, Lori MacDonald and Jessica Crow.

To order, use PayPal by clicking here  and adjust the quantity before hitting the “Buy Now” button. In the comments box, be sure to tell me who to sign the books for and which address I should send them to. (If using PayPal is a problem for you, email me at jocelyn@jocelyngreen.com and we can arrange payment by check.)