Transcript

Dr. Jessica Peck prescribes Hope for Healthy Families on American Family Radio

Hello and welcome to the Dr. Nurse Mama show prescribing Hope for healthy Families here on American Family Radio.

Here's your host, professor, pediatric nurse practitioner. And mom of four, Dr. Jessica Peck.

Dr. Jessica Peck: Well, hey there friends and welcome to my favorite time of the afternoon, getting to spend time with you prescribing Hope for Healthy Families. And today we are encouraging you to be a champion for, for the veteran. This is November. We are talking about veterans this month as we have Veterans Day and an opportunity to honor those who serve. And just as this is my favorite time of day to come to you and to bring you hope for healthy families, I'm so happy to be bringing to you one of yours and my favorite guest for for sure. We're talking again to Nick Vujicic, Nick V Ministries. We have been talking all this year, since the beginning of the year and encourag calling you, pleading with you to tell you to be a champion for the brokenhearted. You can go to nickvministries.org you can listen to any of the past shows and I'm continuing to pray that God would stir that conviction. For those of you who are hearing, thinking, oh, here it is again and I haven't done anything. Now is the time, friend. Now is the time. Go to nickvministries.org Please do that. We really would appreciate you helping equip the church, equip your community and equip, equip yourself to be a champion for the brokenhearted.

About 17 veterans die by suicide every day in the United States

And today we are focusing, as I said, on the veterans we're bringing and honoring a group of heroes who really walk among us every day. They carry stories of bravery, of sacrifice, of loss, of resilience. And many of these times, they carry them in silence. They may share them with each other, but not in public. And while we proudly thank them for their service, we ask them to stand up at ball games, we ask them to stand up in churches and other places. Many are fighting battles long after that applause goes away, long after their uniform is hung up. Here is a sobering reality. There are about 16 and a half million US veterans who are living today. But nearly one in four veterans report symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder related to their service. We also know that veteran suicide remains an extremely heartbreaking crisis that has impacted so many, many of you who are listening and if that is you, please know I am so sorry for that sorrow, that loss that you have experienced. We know that about 17 veterans die by suicide every day here in the United states. And since 2001, there have been more than 7,000 U.S. service members who have lost their lives in combat. But Again, more than 30,000 have died by suicide, over four times the number killed in combat. We know that milit service reshapes not only the life of the service member, but it shapes and requires a call and a sacrifice and a service from the entire family. Spouses often carry the weight of being separated for a long time, of being single parents, of relocating frequently. And children may experience anxiety and grief and just having to grow up faster because they are facing the realities of the world. And we see families absorbing the emotional aftershocks that come with military service. But despite that, we know that there is such honor in serving and we have an opportunity to show gratitude. Now there will be veterans where you live. Maybe they live in your own home. Maybe they live on your street. Maybe they live in your community. Maybe they worship the same place you do. Maybe they, your, their kids go to the same school that you do. Maybe you just meet them in the grocery store or see them eating lunch. You will encounter veterans. And today we have Nick V. Coming into that reality and facing veterans and approaching them with compassion, with gospel synage support, with the hope of Christ. And so Nick, it is always such a joy. I am so grateful for the heart that you have for the brokenhearted and especially for the veteran. Welcome back.

Nick Vujicic: Thank you, Jessica, for having me back. this is obviously as someone that's an American citizen for many, many years and going around the world, yes. But when I come home on on, on our home territory and I'm able to look at, military face to face of men, women and the families affected, I want to say quickly at the front of this, top of the show, thank you for your service. thank you. As we continue, to fight for freedom, for our country and, and really as an example in the world, we do live in one of the greatest, countries ever in the era of, of not knowing what we don't know. All I know is that I'm proud to be an American and we would not have our freedom without you. and when we have experts like Jeremy from Mighty Oaks, nonprofit organization, and many nonprofits out there who are trying to be a, resource not just to the veteran himself, but the spouse of the veteran, the child of the veteran, you know, as we've gone through all these topics, Jessica, of ways that hearts are broken, to honor these people who've honored and served our country is something very, very important that I wish we would know more about. And obviously this is the opportunity where you and I can help, our listeners understand the complexities yet still the simplicities of everyday life in our own community, how we can try and embrace the veteran community, whether active or non active.

Dr. Jessica Peck: I was so grateful to see the veteran listed among these 12 groups and that you are, are equipping the church to serve Nick. And you've traveled all over the world. You have spoken before billions of people, you've traveled all over the country. And I'm sure that you have had encounters with veterans just like you talked about from Mighty Oaks. There's such a great video that you did of an interview with Jeremy that's on nickvministries.org you can go and watch that interview. I would encourage you to share it with other veterans, who maybe you know, are struggling or maybe you don't share that with them. But Nick, what kind of encounters have you had with veterans who have experienced some sort of brokenheartedness over the trauma that they've experienced related to deployment or other forms of military service?

Nick Vujicic: Look, I've been to the bases where there are people that's getting ready to, you know, go and be deployed and some of them just break under the pressure and do not understand that their value as a human being is not based on how they did yesterday in that test. and being with parents whose children committed suicide, young adults at that point to then going in the aftermath of even the physical losses of legs and arms and amputees, being with Joni and friends back in the day and going to the wounded veterans and some other organizations that I've, I've met with and, and dealt with, and partnered with over the many years, truly is, out of all the topics, something that you need to have a very open heart and open mind in a continuation of learning, learning how we can better help and not assume anything. I think out of all the, the topics, that we could ever talk about, this as well would be an individualistic case by case. Listening, learning, being there, also understanding the balance of some needs of medication as well. To walk through, some of those triggers of the ptsd, whether it was being sexually abused in the military, or on the field, witnessing something they can never, reverse or losing 18 of their closest friends in one battle, it's just unfathomable hearing the stories of the, the type of things that they signed up to, yet you just can't imagine what they're going through right now. And and that suffering is continual, and you need to learn how to live with that. and that of many things I say, I don't understand it. it's beyond me. I feel very sad. also to, you know, let everyone know that, the, The Veteran affairs organization, you know, in some aspects, we, we could be doing a lot better. thankful though for, Operation Mend in, the hospital in LA that gives out the operations, timely as many needed. so there are nonprofits out there, but I think just the Christian community overall. Jessica, for instance, where we live in the DFW metroplex of North Texas, there are still approximately over 30,000 homeless veterans. and so how do we reach out to people? Again, it's just very individual, individualistic approaches and needed. But there's just, I think a lot of learning still needed and not just to see this as a stat and as an important thing.

How many veterans have your church helped with PTSD issues and isolation

And I'm going to just say it to the church. How many veterans has your church helped? how many times have we, you know, Veterans Day stand up, as you said, applaud. But what have we done to come around the families that are suffering indeed with, with regards to these PTSD issues and isolation?

Dr. Jessica Peck: You know, I remember last year at my church, our pastor had a veteran to come and speak about his experience. It was more than just, you know, yes, applaud your service. Thank you for serving. We really honored the experience that he had had. And, you know, the first time I think I really saw this, Nick, I don't have military service myself, but I have taken care as a nurse practitioner of many families who do who have military service. And I have lots of. And some extended family members who have served. But my husband's grandparents all served in World War II, and in particular one of his grandfathers served in World War II in the Pacific. And he never talked about what he experienced there. He definitely had pride in our country. He had pride in the military service. We would always take him to the Houston Rodeo to meet with other veterans. And even when he was 97 years old, he would push himself out of that wheelchair to a stand to salute his fellow soldiers, his fellow veterans that were around. It was a beautiful thing to see. But, Nick, it wasn't until one of my children was in the fifth grade that he said, you know what? I want to come to your child's class and talk to them about some of the things that I experienced. And that was the first time they had ever shared some of the details. And of course, you know, we talked about it, and he shared with the children in, a developmentally appropriate way. But the private conversation that he and I had, I was stunned, stunned at the things that he had seen, that he had witnessed, that he had experienced. But I think especially for his generation, they were told that's not honorable to talk about that. You just stuff it down. And here I'm looking at a man, Nick, who frankly came back, had divorce after divorce, after divorce, had a lot of these were all manifestations of trauma. And I think, well, yes, of course that's how the response was, because how else do you deal with it? And what you said just now really resonates with me about we have so much to learn, and there is so much stigma and shame around that, around having. You're supposed to be so strong. You are supposed to be, you know, the. The mighty soldier. You're our superhero. You're a literal action figure. And then to have those feelings of doubt, I think that's why we're seeing the crisis. That's part of why we're seeing the crisis of veteran suicide, because it's so. The pressure to live with that is so difficult. And when we come back, Nick, we're coming up on our first break here. We're give a lot more information about the resources that are available. But for right now, I encourage you to go to nickvministries.org go to nickvministries.org you can click on Champions for the Brokenhearted. You'll see that tab right there. It will take you to all of the groups of people we've been talking about. And you can click on the veterans. There is an ebook there, there are videos there, there is curriculum there that has been written by very reputable ment professionals to help equip you in the moment, to equip you to go to your pastor and say, what is our church doing for veterans? What are we doing for people who are trafficked, who have experienced abortion, who've experienced abuse, who are poor? We'll be talking about that next month for December. Go and look and see. And I encourage you to pray how the Lord would have you to respond. Because we know from scripture that the Lord is close to the brokenhearted. He is close to those who are crushed in spirit. And he is calling you to respond in a way that brings healing, in a way that's a reflection of God's love and God's care for the brokenhearted. We'll have so much more with Nick V. When we come back. Don't go away. We'll see you on the other side of this break. A recent Danish study revealed something heartbreaking. Just one year after an abortion, women were 50% more likely to need psychiatric treatment and 87% more likely to experience personality or behavioral disorders. That's not women's health care. That's trauma. But at preborn, women find the real kind of care, the kind that heals. When a woman walks into one of Preborn's network clinics, she's welcomed with open arms. She's introduced to her baby through an ultrasound and for the first time, she sees life not loss And she's offered hope filled choices. When she chooses life, PreBorn continues walking with her for up to two years, providing maternity clothes, diapers, counseling and so much more. Preborn cares for the whole woman, body, mind and soul and the precious baby growing inside her. As you think about your year end giving, consider the greatest investment you could ever make. The gift of life. Dial pound 250 and say the keyword baby. That's pound 250 baby. Or visit preborn.com/drnursemama that's preborn.com/drnursemama all gifts are tax- deductible and PreBorn is a five star rated charity. preborn.com/AFR

Let The Church Sing by Tauren Wells and gio: We love one truth we crown one name we bow to one king we follow one way, one faith, one gospel, one cross, one grave, one resurrection we share by grace so we sing no one like our God only one we need Holy is our Lord. Hallelujah. Let the church sing no one like our God Only one we need Holy is our Lord. Hallelujah. Let the church sing

Dr. Jessica Peck: Welcome back friends. That is Let the Church Sing by Tauren Wells. And that's exactly what we're talking about today.

Nick V Ministries is bringing hope and healing to veterans and their families

Letting the church sing. Let the church sing. Help. Songs of help for the Veteran Today. If you're just joining us, I'm speaking with one of your favorite guests and mine Nick Vujicic of Nick V Ministries, the founder of that organization, a ministry that is changing lives across the globe with the hope of Jesus Christ. And Nick's vision is blessed, bold. He wants to reach more than a billion people by 2029. But today we are zooming in on one element of that specific mission. We are talking about bringing hope and healing and honor to veterans and their families. To all the veterans who have served, thank you so much for your service. Nick has spoken with veterans around the world, from the US to many countries in the world. He understands the weight that warriors and their families carry. Nick, welcome Back.

What do churches need to do better in honoring military veterans

And before the break, you know, we were. I was sharing a. A story, a personal anecdote of the trauma that my husband's grandfather carried from his military service. And why do we need to give the message to the church that just thank you for your service is not enough? How is that ineffective in communicating the hope of the good news of the gospel? And what do churches need to do better?

Nick Vujicic: I think what we do need to do, do better is to admit that there's a lot more to learn, there's a lot more that we can do, in our local communities, and at least talk about it. We're, needing to. And, you know, just the terminology of ptsd, you know, that could be used across many other, conversations let's say that the church really needs to have. But, you know, when we. When we as. As especially, you know, shepherding the flock, and the next generation, I, feel like we need to admit that, hey, we. We really haven't done as much as we really could have done for those who gave it our get. Gave it their all for our freedom. and I think it's not really about what are you passionate about a people group we all should be honoring, in our own home, talking about the freedom, but not just from a political stance, but the freedom. The freedom that we do have because of the men and women who went on the front line. and so I feel like it's again, a. A conversation to say, hey, maybe come up to me as the pastor. Do you know anyone who's a veteran? Do you know a spouse of a veteran, a widow of a veteran, a child of a veteran? Do you have anyone that's being deployed right now, in your family or in your network of friends? How can we pray for you? How can we help you? What is your need? I think that's when you have the posture of, hey, we're not afraid to admit that we could have done more, but help us as well immediately here within our community. Is there anyone here we'd like to talk to you. How can we pray for you? What's your need? Would you like to share your story one day? I mean, your pastor giving a, you know, a moment where. Or minutes where they can share their testimony? I think the deep down, need for these people who are honestly, worriers is what's my purpose? I think even having small groups of, commonalities of such pain is so powerful because there are people that come back home, they have their arms and legs Their mental health's okay, but they're, they're also like, questioning, okay, what do I do now? What's my mission now? What do I conquer now? And so just to have that community where it's not just people that don't know what we don't know, but bringing those common members, of the community together in a loving way in a safe place. I think it's really interesting where we don't understand the nuances. Only one in full report ptsd, because there are some other people that don't. Because when you report ptsd, to, to the organizations, that, that are an authority, they do take away your gun. as soon as you say that I've got some mental health issues yet. A lot of my security today and the stability that I do have left is the fact that I can still carry. And so where is. It's the conundrum, it's the oxymoron of, well, this is, you know, and so helping people understand that Jesus is the only source of healing that you can ever get. Jesus is the only one who can remap our, our, our mental, instability and, and, and be the center point for the healing that your heart actually needs. And I think, having those conversations and sharing with [email protected] we've got incredible resources incre, to the family of the veteran, to the actual veteran, multiple organizations that we know you can trust, that will come around you and give and serve, at this, at this time of your life. And I just can't emphasize enough that I am the least educated in this yet. my hunger for, like, well, help me understand, wait, what, what do I have in my own backyard, in my own pocket, in my own hand, that I can even just help a portion of the need out there. And so I think it's really thought provoking to say when was the last time our church has had such conversations? Do we have a focus group? Can we put a focus group together? if it was just tabled from the pulpit, it might be a little easier than we think.

Dr. Jessica Peck: You know, it makes me sad, Nick, because I do think that, and I'm with you. I have not lived this, this experience personally, but my closest connection is caring for a lot of children who have been in military connected families. And what I see a lot of times is that church can feel like it's not a safe space. And it's really interesting when you watch veterans talking to people at church, but when they meet another veteran Nick, the communication goes to a whole nother level. They speak the same language, they understand, they've lived the same culture, they share the same values. They just. There is an ecosystem there that is a safe space. But, the paradox, as you kind of talked about before, is that a lot of those groups for veterans that, that are for veterans talking to veterans, they're also not providing faith or, and without faith, without hope in the good news of Jesus Christ, then we're really just. What kind of hope are we, Are we trafficking in there? What kind of hope is there? And so I really feel like churches need to be better equipped to be a safe space to understand that ecosystem, the realities of the veteran. And when this veteran shared last year, let me tell you, Nick, it was tough. It was tough to hear some of those realities. It was much less comfortable than the, oh, stand. And everybody, you know, like, maybe have a patriotic song and everybody clap and we have this feel good America moment. It was. No, let's, let's honor the experience that you had. And one thing I think you'll appreciate is this veteran came from a ministry that takes veterans to Israel, on trips to Israel to show them. And there's something with that, you know, kind of physicalness that's required for climbing, the terrain that is there, and just having them, you know, out of their normal comfort zone and being able to process some of the things that they process. Really fascinating to look at. But I think we need as a church to be more equipped to be a safe space for veterans.

Nick says churches can provide a safe space for veterans and their family

Because the other thing is that when veterans come into those faith environments, sometimes we're just way too simplistic, like, oh, you're feeling anxious. Oh, I have a scripture for that. Be anxious for nothing. Tell me more about what churches can do to be equipped and how they'll be equipped through the curriculum that you've made, the resources that you've made for champions, for the brokenhearted, to be a safe space for veterans and their family that will give them an eternal hope that doesn't disappoint?

Nick Vujicic: Yeah, look, I'd encourage people to actually say, hey, does anyone know a veteran? Is there, is there a veteran here? Does someone else know someone, that loves the Lord? when you go to nickvministries.org though, like, as you said, these are the only people that most veterans will ever talk to because they just know, they understand, even without words. I know that I'm in a safe place, like you said, but they understand me. I don't have to Explain anything. and a veteran will know how to navigate this. And so, you know, as God has used me as a miracle for many disabled kids, I, think there are veterans out there saying, God, well, what's my purpose now? This is like, oh, look, you're looking for a purpose. Oh, look, there is a need that needs to be met by the church. We don't know where to actually meet that gap. you might find that, you wouldn't call them necessarily a counselor, you wouldn't necessarily call them, you know, some branded person, but the leader of a focus group or, someone that could be seen as, ah, almost like a, a representative of the church, an ambassador for our veterans. I mean, give them some kind of name on that. But actually, if you're listening to this and you are a veteran, this is God perhaps really telling you, hey, get involved in your church in a way that you never thought before. when you go to nickvministries.org, you'll see all the resources and all the organizations. Sure. But what I love is we actually train people to actually have one on one conversations that we would see as counseling and having people just talk and it out, having feelings, I mean, talk about why there's isolation and why some veterans I've met are on 19 different drugs daily. It's because generally these organizations and the government officials and organizations, that are actually the specialized counselors are not allowed to say Jesus. They're not allowed to bring in faith into the workplace. They're not allowed to go more than 20 minutes per patient. And so some of these veterans shouldn't be on medication at all. but that's kind of the system. And so when you're in, a type of system of counseling without faith, you can provide that safe place. You can provide that healing if you partner with the church and don't be afraid, to actually go up to the pastor and say, hey, what can we do this Veterans Day that's different than the last? Can I share a testimony? Can we invite more veteran families that weekend? is there something that we can honor the family and have like a cookout with them or something like that? It's not, a simple topic to talk about yet in the end, the love and hope of Jesus Christ through a church in the community is actually, doesn't have to be made complicated, if that makes sense.

Dr. Jessica Peck: It does. And you're right. I mean, we just have this siloed approach. Like we have resources potentially to help with their mental Health to help with practical resources like housing or connecting their children. But we, but we know that people are holistic beings. They are m. They are physical, they are mental, they are emotional, they are spiritual. And we just see a void here, especially in that spiritual support. And that's why, again, Nick and I are going to encourage you so many times to go to nickvministries.org and Nick, I just see a, special grace in God's calling over your life. And while, as you've shared, you haven't had the experience as a veteran, you have had the experience of living with disability, being born without limbs. And there are veterans who have different disabilities. Some of them have lost their limbs in combat. Some of them have other forms of disability. I think that there is a certain power that you have in sharing certain elements of that lived experience. And what you were talking about and thinking, okay, what is my purpose now? What, what am I going to do now? How is God calling me now? And you are a powerful, living testimony of that. What would you say to disabled veterans who might be listening, who may feel discouraged or feel like, you know, that's difficult to live with? What would you say to them?

Nick Vujicic: Well, first and foremost, it's one thing to be born without limbs. And, you know, compare that to losing one limb. you have to relearn. You go through the general emotions and grief, worry, uncertainty, isolation, feeling that you're now less valuable. and so it's not like I was not going through these things, as I grew up in my childhood. But to lose something you've always had, is more difficult than never not knowing. And so, whether we have a disability or not, though, it's always about a circumstance that's internal or external, relational, that's close or perceived from the outside looking in. but then at that point, no matter what, triggers different things, really only triggers thoughts and feelings that then make the difference. So with the thoughts and the feelings that we have, no matter what suffering, no matter what pain, no matter what grief and depression we're going through, or struggle with addiction, it's what you're going to do with those thoughts and feelings. Are you going to keep it inside? Are you going to tell someone? Are you going to read a book about it? Are you going to listen to a Message now on nickvministries.ahorg and see? Okay, God, I'm listening. Let me see. Where are you in my pain today? So the commonality of our pain, our questions, our loneliness, give yourself Every chance to hear the word of God. Give yourself every chance to go out and see other inspiring stories that felt like.

Dr. Jessica Peck: I agree. I'm gonna have to hold you right there because we're coming up on our break. Hang on, we'll be right back. You don't want to miss it. During the Christmas season of 1976, I. Sat down one night to watch television. One man saw the battle coming. If we lose this cultural war, we're. Going to have a hedonistic, humanistic society. And he chose to stand and fight. If you will not respect our beliefs, then you will respect our money and we'll spend it with somebody else. Reverend Wildmon. Reverend Wildmon. The Reverend Donald Wildmon. Discover the story of the culture warrior Don Wildmon and how he went head to head with Hollywood playboy, the homosexual agenda and the Disney empire. Things were changing and many people just sort of acclimated to it And Don Wildmon didn't. They thought, I think that they could just crush him. The movement Don started paved the way for Christians to boldly stand for truth and righteousness in a, hostile culture. Watch Culture Warrior today for free visit culturewarrior.movie

We Remember by Steven Curtis Chapman: This is for the ones who heard the fight for freedom calling for the ones who answer I'll do what I can for the ones who ran to battle who believe that freedom matters this is for you and this is for the ones whose orders took them to the front lines for the ones who fell never made it home. For the. Ones who came back broken with memories too hard to be spoken all this is for you we remember we remember we are thankful we are grateful we know freedom isn't free we remember. We. Remember the gift you gave the price you paid it's not in vain and it will never be forgotten we remember.

Dr. Jessica Peck: Welcome back, friends. It is so good to have you back on this day that we are taking a moment to remember the veterans. Thank you so much to every one of you who have served, whether that is serving directly in the military or serving alongside a family. We know as we have heard from so many veterans, that their spouses, their children, their extended family, their support deserve so much thanks and gratitude for the sacrifices that you make to help us live in a country where we can be free. And we're so grateful for that freedom. There are so many ways that we take that freedom for granted living here in the United States, of course we pray for the persecuted Christians who are around the world. We're so grateful for the freedom that we have here in the United States to worship as we please. And I encourage you to listen to the program we did with Todd Nettleton on Voice of the Martyrs and to join us in praying for Christians who are being persecuted all over the world, especially those Christians who are in Nigeria. And this is just a great opportunity to think about this, the freedom that we have and to be grateful for that. As we're going into Thanksgiving week. That is one of the things that I am most grateful for. And I'm so grateful for Nick Vujicic and for his ministry. For the last year, he has been joining me on this show. And if you don't know Nick, please go back and listen to those shows. Nick is a very highly demanded speaker who has spoken to literally billions of people all over the world. And I'm so grateful for the opportunity that he gave us here to hear his heart for the brokenhearted. He has developed a program, a curriculum with completely free resources. It's called Champions for the Brokenhearted. You can go to nickvministries.org and there are so many populations on there. We've been talking about each of those. We've talked about the traffic to the unborn, the, we're talking about the bullied, the widow this month. We are talking about the veteran and can see if it's on your heart to serve veterans. There may be resources there to equip you to respond within the church. And Nick's story, his own personal story of overcoming physical adversity, really gives a powerful hope. And as he spoke about, there is no comparison of, injury or disability, but the heartbeat behind it all can give such powerful perspective. And he spoke so powerfully about the need to bring that hope to our veterans, that there is hope. And we know that we have that hope in Jesus Christ, a hope that does not disappoint. We worship a savior who, for the joy set before him, endured the cross, despising its shame, and now he sits at the right hand of God. And we can have eternal life. We know that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. That is the eternal hope. That is the, the ultimate freedom that all of us want. Not just that freedom here on earth, but the freedom of eternal life in heaven. And when we want that, we see veterans who need the message of that kind of hope. The things that veterans face, even today in today's world, it is very, very difficult. And many of them face and see very traumatic things. We know, of course, the greatest generation face those things and, but even now in modern day warfare, I think of a, dear friend that we had who served in Afghanistan and just saw some of the most horrific things you can imagine. And even here at home there are struggles that veterans have and many of those things, the realities of being deployed for long periods of time, of being separated from their support systems, of being prepared at any moment in a world that, that seems so incredibly unstable to be able to leave their families and to face the unimaginable, to put their life, to be willing every day to put their life on the line, that takes a toll on their mental health. We know in 2022 alone there were over 6,000 veteran suicides. We know that is going up. There are roughly 17 veterans taking their own lives every single day. And even one in is just too much. And we know that. We see that tragedy happening. That impacts families, it impacts younger veterans, it impacts older veterans, it, it impacts those who are actively serving, those who have served. And we know that only about a third of veterans who have those thoughts of self harm, those thoughts of extreme hopelessness, are engaged in mental health treatment. Now this matters because these are not just numbers, they are not statistics. These are people, men and women, who are facing deep struggles in civilian life. Especially for veterans and for listeners. This means the church, the community, and you as individual believers, you have such an incredible role. Hope is not just a platitude. It's not just, just applauding at, at ah, sporting games or in your church. It is a lifeline. It is a literal lifeline. And we know that we have faith as our firm foundation on a solid rock that never, ever wavers. And in a world where there is shifting sands and there is political instability and geographical geopolitical forces at work like we maybe have not even seen in our lifetime. The feeling of fear, the feeling of what happens next. Nick's testimony today shows that with God, even the most broken places can become sources of strength. This spiritual encouragement for veterans matters so much. As Nick and I talked about. We often give treatment in silos. There may be physical health services, mental health services, there may be even support services. But many veterans still feel isolated. They feel unseen, unvalued, unappreciated and their needs unmet. And they feel stuck. But Christ offers a message of hope. You are known, you are seen, you are loved. Your life still has meaning and purpose. And I'm always inspired by Nick's testimony in that. And just as Nick leaned on others, veterans and their families, they need the tangible presence of the church. Not just words, but meaningful action. And so I encourage you, if you are on staff in a church, if you're volunteering in a church, if you're a member of a church, ask about what the services your church has. I know I have gone to a church that had a quilting ministry where ladies would make the most beautiful quilts to gift to veterans. And it was through their gifts, the ways that they were gifted, that it was such a meaningful moment of appreciation, and they would invite their families. Maybe that's you. Maybe that's something that you can do. You think, well, I love to quilt, and I've already quilted something for every family member. This might be some way that you can use your gift. There are ways that all of us can use our gifts to serve veterans. Maybe it is providing respite for a spouse who's here alone while their spouse is deployed and taking their kids to do something fun, inviting them on holiday traditions. That can be really tough when someone is gone, when someone is deployed, when someone is overseas, maybe that can be that for you. And, actually, my producers reminding me, Quilts of Valor is actually a national organization. So if that piqued your interest, the quilting, possibility, you can check out Quilts of Valor, and they can help to get you started. And I know from firsthand experience and firsthand witnessing how beautiful that was. And we have featured other veterans with other organizations. If you want to be connected to those shows, contact us. We'd be glad to give you those. But I look at so many veteran stories that I have been so inspired by. We have been so fortunate to interview Navy chaplains who have talked about the. The joys and opportunities they have in serving men and women and their families at the point of need. It is so inspiring in that and some of the other veteran stories we hear that are just so heartwarming to know that there are people there who are working in this space actively. So I really encourage you to think about with your family some very actionable, practical ways that you might serve veterans and their families this holiday season. There may be some ways that you can volunteer. You can volunteer with service organizations in your community. Reach out to your church and ask what organizations, what service opportunities there might be to serve veterans and their family, or look in your community for an opportunity, or maybe just make it more organic than that. Maybe you are one of those ones who walks in, sees to a restaurant, sees someone in uniform, buys their meal, thanks them for their service. These little gestures mean so much.

There are many ways you can serve during this holiday season

And we Think about, there's so many opportunities to serve, but at Christmas time especially, so many of us are so blessed. One of my favorite holiday movies is Little Women. I'm talking about the 1990s version. I really love that movie, love that story. Because for the March family, it shows them on Christmas morning and really not having as much as they have had in Christmas past, but taking up their Christmas breakfast and going and taking it to a family who needs it. There is always something to be grateful for. And as we're heading into this holiday season, you may think, what do I have to be grateful for? There is always something to be grateful for. And there is always a way that our gifts, the ways that, that God has gifted us, even if not intangible ways to serve others. And we know that families who serve together, of course in the military, we appreciate that. But families who do community service together, it has so many holistic health benefits. And we know that it's better to give than to receive. And God blesses those families who are serving. It helps us to be more grateful. It helps our heart health, it helps our emotional health, our mental health. I really encourage you to do that. There are other organizations where you might write a letter or make a care package to someone who is deployed around the world. You might also consider supporting a nonprofit. There are so many great nonprofits out there that help veterans with housing or financial assistance and help military and veteran families who, who do. Who need. Have those kinds of needs. You might offer some relational support. There are all kinds of organizations that help and have events at the holiday, ways to say thank you, ways to engage in helping veteran families who move so much that I always think about the children. You may think of a way to serve the children of military families. It is a family affair to serve and to recognize the children for their service. That is so meaningful to those children and it's also meaningful to the people who are serving. I encourage you to do that. But most of all, I encourage you to take a moment even now, to pray to pray for veterans and their families. Pray for their mental health, pray for their protection, pray for their healing, pray for them to come to know the hope that is in the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Savior who came very near for us. I just encourage you to pray for them. And we can remember Nick Vujicic message of hope because he's as he says, if God can take someone without limbs and use him to inspire millions or even billions of people around the world, he can take our veteran Brothers and sisters, even with their wounds, with their memories that may be painful, with their struggles they have been through, God is absolutely capable of bringing healing and purpose and community. And so church listeners, my fellow friends out there, how will you be a part of that healing? Once again, I encourage you you to go to nickvministries.org all year long he has been asking you to be a champion for the brokenhearted. We know that God is close to the brokenhearted, that he saves those who are crushed in spirit. There are so many ways that people are hurting around us and so many ways that you can be empowered to help. Nick has partnered with a team of, very credible experts to provide all kinds of resources. There is an ebook there. There is a video message from Nick for every person who is hurting. Maybe that's just something that you do. Maybe you know a veteran who is hurting and you find that video that Nick gave with a message of hope and you send it to them and just say, I thought of you, wanted you to know I'm praying for you. Maybe there is a step further that you want to take to have some of those messages in your church or resources in your church. Maybe you watch the videos that Nick has done to interview other people, to expand your perspective. I encourage you to think about how you can serve during this holiday season. And as you do, I pray the Lord will bless you and keep you and make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you and to our veterans. May he bring you a special blessing of peace. I'll see you right here next time.

Jeff Chamblee: The views and opinions expressed in this broadcast may not necessarily reflect those of the American Family association or American Family Radio.