November 10, 2025 • 22 mins
Did you know that it was a soldier who understood Jesus better than almost anyone during his time walking the earth? In this Veterans Day episode, we talk about how:
- The soldier whom Jesus marveled at can still teach us today.
- It is morally right to honor our veterans and their families.
- Everyone faces change and loss, but most of us have never gained the skills to navigate them - so we talk about it.
- It is crucial to regard the many personal and tactical skills you do have to shift to a new sector in our workforce, and how much you are needed.
Here are links to content talked about in the episode:
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
For this episode of Getting Personal With God, I
have a very specific focus and Icouldn't help myself because
it's almost Veterans Day whenthe podcast is coming out.
So I happen to have a greatrespect and regard for our
veterans and all that they dofor us, and we often take for
granted.
So I basically hit on threethings.
One, it's morally right to honorour veterans.
(00:21):
Two, it's a soldier whounderstood the kingdom of God
better than most people ever didwhen Jesus walked on the earth.
And third, veterans have manyskills that fit in many areas,
and certainly the focus andmentality and teamwork that will
profit any company.
And boy, do we need your skillsand attitudes and abilities in
(00:44):
pretty much every sector of ourworkforce.
So if anyone belongs in ourcommunities, it's our veterans.
So know that there are millionsof us who are fans and who are
all for our veteran communitiesthriving after military service,
and we're grateful for allyou've done and all those who
(01:04):
are serving today.
So here we go with the episode.
Do you love God but forget topray?
Or feel guilty instead ofenjoying his presence?
I understand.
I know how unsatisfying timewith God can feel if we believe
he's distant or busy.
I'm Lenora, mom, Jesus lover,and former international
trainer.
If you're looking to feel closerwith God without fear or
(01:26):
pressure, have a greater abilityto receive from him, and desire
more confidence to make animpact with your own life.
Well, get some coffee and let'stalk.
If you're carrying stress andwant support with prayer, I
wrote a book to help you.
100 Prayers, Releasing 100Cares.
It's full of real stories,scripture, and 100 prayers for
(01:48):
every part of life.
A link to the book is in theshow notes.
At the time of recording thisepisode, it is almost Veterans
Day.
So I simply had to honor ourveterans.
If you are a veteran or a familymember of a veteran, thank you
for your service.
Thank you for your support forour country.
I understand that only about 1%of our population serves in our
(02:11):
military, and I appreciate you.
I thank you for your sacrifice,and I ask you not to compare
your service time to someoneelse's.
You did it, period.
Thank you.
My father happens to be a KoreanWar veteran.
He served in 1953.
Well, he served for eight years,but in 1953 he was serving for
(02:33):
the Korean War in MiG Alley.
He was a crew chief for SaberJets.
He never talked about it verymuch.
And he served before he wasmarried and I was ever born.
So I honestly learned all themore about veterans from
veterans that I was honored toserve with.
I had the privilege of directinga program for young people and
for our veterans.
(02:54):
Now, really, the program for theveterans was actually run and
driven by our veterans, but Iwas able to help communicate and
educate our own corporate staff.
I was able to work with outsideorganizations and promote work
and interact with our veterans,which I will always consider a
great honor.
So I want to touch on a couplethings today.
(03:15):
And for the first part is it'sbiblical to honor our veterans.
Romans 13, 7 talks about givinghonor where honor is due.
Do you know that it's morallywrong not to honor yourself if
you served as a veteran or ifyou're a veteran family member?
And again, it's not aboutcomparing I did four years
(03:36):
versus someone who did 30 years,but let's honor that you served
your country, period.
You're volunteered your life.
Most of our veterans today didit strictly as a volunteer.
So again, thank you.
It's our general moralobligation to honor each other
as human beings made in theimage of God, but it is a moral
(03:56):
obligation to say thank you andhonor our veterans because you
put out your life, willing, ifneed be, to lay it down for the
rest of us.
And that is truly something tobe respected, acknowledged, and
celebrated.
It's too easy to think of thingswe could have done different,
could have done better, or itwas nothing.
(04:16):
I don't think that helps us feelsatisfied with the purpose in
our own life.
If you served in our military,thank you for serving the
purpose of protection.
The next thing that was broughtto my mind when I thought about
this episode was I want to tella particular story that came to
my mind about Veterans Day andgetting personal with God.
(04:38):
It's an amazing story, in myopinion.
Matthew chapter 8, verses 5through 13.
It's also in the book of Luke.
A certain rank of soldier wascalled a centurion.
And that man came forward toJesus, appealing to him, saying,
Lord, my servant is lyingparalyzed at home, suffering
terribly.
And Jesus said, I will come andheal him.
(04:58):
But this is what the centurionsaid.
Lord, I'm not worthy to have youcome under my roof, but only say
the word, and my servant will behealed.
And get this.
This is what he said next.
For I too am a man underauthority, with soldiers under
me.
And I say to one, Go and hegoes.
And to another, come and hecomes, and to my servant, do
(05:20):
this and he does it.
When Jesus heard this, hemarveled.
He was amazed.
And he said to those whofollowed him, the people around
him, Truly I tell you, with noone in Israel have I found such
faith.
I tell you, many will come fromeast and west and recline at the
table with Abraham, Isaac, andJacob in the kingdom of heaven,
(05:42):
while the sons of the kingdomwill be thrown out into outer
darkness.
And to the centurion, Jesussaid, Go, let it be done.
Let it be done for you as youhave believed.
And the servant was healed atthat very moment.
Now that's powerful.
Jesus did miracles all aroundthe nation of Israel.
(06:04):
Crowds came, followed him.
Sometimes it said they followedhim because he gave them food to
eat.
Others followed him just to seemore miracles.
But this is one individual, andit happened to be a soldier who
understood Jesus was a man underauthority.
This is a big deal.
(06:25):
And again, I thank God for ourmilitary and for our veterans
who understand the power ofauthority, the power of a chain
of command.
And this centurion soldierunderstood that Jesus didn't
even have to be physicallypresent to heal, because
authority operates throughcommand, not proximity.
(06:46):
He recognized Jesus had commandat a higher realm, because he
translated it to the miraculous.
(07:11):
He must have been watching whathad been going on over the weeks
or months.
Now the book of Luke adds thatactually the centurion sent
Jewish elders on his behalf,showing humility, because he
knew he wasn't a Jew.
And the centurion had built asynagogue in that town.
He showed great honor to God'speople.
He had some understanding of theJewish faith.
(07:32):
Though he was a Roman, he reallyregarded the kingdom of God and
he recognized it.
Now, about the word authority,it means delegated or confirmed,
conferred authority, the rightto act, the power to command and
enforce obedience.
Not a brute force, notsuggestions, it's authority
rooted in structure.
(07:53):
Jesus was under the authority ofFather in heaven.
And I'm just so impressed andproud that it happens to be a
soldier that understood Jesusbetter than most did.
And today, a lot of Christiansdon't know the authority in the
name of Jesus.
And yet it's people likesoldiers, those who understand
(08:15):
authority, recognize this isn'tspells.
When God has power, this isn'tsome weird fairy thing, some
weird, like you conjure up somewitch's brew.
This is a kingdom withauthority.
And the people that haveauthority have it because
they're under the name or theorganization that owns the
(08:38):
authority.
And the soldier recognized thatJesus' authority flowed because
he was submitted to a highersource.
Again, the Father.
Later on in the Gospels, whichis in the New Testament, first
four books of the New Testament,Jesus said, If you've seen me,
you've seen the Father.
Another place in prayer, Jesussays, Father, I've shown them
(09:01):
who you are.
I've made your name known.
And what better day to celebratea soldier recognizing God than
Veterans Day?
Again, what another reason tohonor the kind of integrity, the
kind of respect and strengththat our military members have
had and their families whosacrifice and serve along with
(09:24):
them.
Historically, a soldier has apowerful story forever about
understanding Jesus Christ andwho he was, and how I wish for
every single one of you to knowhim today, to call on the name
of Jesus, the King of Kings.
We can each come under authorityand have all of the life that he
(09:45):
provided, because that's what hecame for.
John 10, 10.
I came that you'd have life andhave it to the full.
I want every one of ourveterans, veteran family members
to have life to the full.
Now, because I work with ourveterans and I understand some
things about transition fromveterans out of the military,
and I understand some of thestruggles that some of our
(10:06):
veterans have had for variousreasons when they have gone into
civilian life.
That's my desire is to encourageyou.
Because any kind of transition,transition from one job to
another, transition in life, inrelationships, and transition
out of a career of service goinginto the civilian life, all of
(10:26):
those changes involve loss.
You're gaining something new,but you're giving up something
you're comfortable with.
Or you may have suffered greatlyin your service, and you don't
know how to untangle all that.
Deep impacts based on what youexperienced.
So let me remind you of a versethat says, Blessed are those who
(10:47):
mourn, for they shall becomforted.
And there are different ways tomourn, but part of the mourning
process, whether it includestears or not, it certainly
includes some communication.
And I hope you will reach out.
And if you have any need,because of grief you have or
(11:08):
anxieties you deal with, or youdon't understand what you're
wrestling with, as a veteran,let me encourage you to be the
man or woman of courage that youare by reaching out for help.
Again, God said in Genesis, it'snot good that we're alone as
people, as humans.
We need each other.
We're made out of relationship.
(11:30):
God said, Let us make man afterour likeness and our image.
Elohim and Father, Son, HolySpirit means we came out of a
God of relationship.
We're made for relationship.
So to be strong requiresemotional courage.
Courage to say, I need help.
Courage to say, I don't know howto do this.
Courage to grieve.
(11:51):
Grieve traumas you faced, grieveloss and change.
Express the things you weregrateful for and don't know how
to do differently.
Express things you want.
Something I'd like to recommend,and I will put a link to this in
the in the episode notes, is Ihighly recommend the Grief
Recovery Program or severalother organizations that help
(12:16):
with dealing with loss andchange.
It's a normal process.
We all go through loss, but mostof us have not been given the
tools to process loss and getinto a good place again.
You know, I'm all for teachingus how to build a life, build a
career, build skills.
That's good.
Yet we all face loss, and mostof us don't really know how to
(12:39):
do that.
I went through a time where bothmy mother and my children's
father were fighting cancer.
I mean, it was my ex-husband atthe same time.
And it was tough.
Uh now, obviously, we werehoping and praying for complete
recovery from cancer.
And I've seen miraculous thingswith cancer, but in this case,
(13:01):
both of them passed away aboutthree months apart.
And as I was getting towardsthat, I said, God, I don't know
how to do this.
I don't know how to do this.
I need tools.
And I ended up coming across theGrief Recovery Program.
And I am so glad I did.
Later on, I got certified inthat program.
So I highly recommend that book,that website.
(13:23):
They have coaching.
There's quite a few things youcan do.
But let me encourage you, you'renot supposed to stuff it.
You're not supposed to justpretend it's okay and power
through it or keep yourselfbusy.
There's a lot of myths withgrief.
Even if you can find someonejust who doesn't have to be a
therapist, just a heart withears to hear you talk through
(13:45):
some things you wish weredifferent, things you were
grateful for, things you want tochoose to forgive so that you're
free.
Certainly forgiving yourself.
When you express some of thesethings, you're untangling a
bunch of unsaid conversationsinside.
And it sounds so simple, butit's incredibly powerful.
(14:07):
Plus, I know what it is to weepwhen you need to weep.
I know what it is to mourn inmultiple different ways.
But what I know is true and haveexperienced is that you can get
back to a very good place.
Don't let your quote new normalbe carrying massive weights on
(14:28):
your back and in your soul forthe rest of your life.
That's not what God has intendedfor you.
And there is a pathway throughit to a beautiful place again.
When I went through a period ofgreat anxiety, I grabbed my book
again and just kind of kind oflike that Russian roulette thing
when you just open a page andhope you find something you need
(14:49):
to hear.
And I did.
And it was a reminder thatsometimes the root of fear is
grief.
Sometimes we know what we'velost.
You've lost a person, or you'velost a job, or you've lost
what's normal.
But sometimes we don't recognizewhat we lost.
A whole sense of safety.
(15:09):
Maybe that's what you lost, asense of being safe, a sense of
having purpose, a sense ofknowing what I'm on this earth
for, knowing what I'm supposedto do today.
That's legitimate loss as well.
And when you can get in touchwith those things, you can
grieve the loss instead ofthinking, I'm just stuck in this
(15:30):
place that feels lost.
So please pursue grief recoveryprogram with Cole James or one
of their many counselors, or gothrough the Hiring Our Hero
program, or another excellentprogram specifically for
veterans.
And I'll add a couple of thosenames again into the show notes.
But then the third thing, I wantto encourage you, as a veteran,
(15:53):
you have many skills that youhave to offer.
If you are serving currently andheaded toward transition out of
your military service, or ifyou're in those first few years
and been struggling with it, letme remind you of a couple
things.
It's always smart when you'regoing through transition to have
a bridge.
What do I mean by that?
Meaning if you can stay somewhatconnected to what you had in the
(16:18):
past, maybe some contacts fromyour past relationships while
you're also building newrelationships.
Some of you have some greatfamilies and a lot of structure
there to help you, and othersdon't.
But there are many people whocare, many people you can begin
to build relationships with.
I do recommend going to a goodchurch that does believe the
(16:39):
Bible, and also it's importantthat you look in the mirror and
have gratitude for yourself.
Speak to yourself, become yourown best friend in the sense of
saying, Hey, you matter.
What you did matter, what youhave inside of you matters, you
do belong, and there are greatthings ahead for you.
Another verse, Jeremiah 29, 11,is so smart.
(17:02):
Imagine that.
God's super smart.
It's the one where God says, Iknow the thoughts I have towards
you, thoughts that are good andnot evil, to give you a hope and
a future.
God knows how important hope is.
And hope, in his definition, isa good expectation, an anchored
good expectation for yourfuture.
And he has a future for you.
If you're struggling withsuicidal thoughts, then I can
(17:25):
tell you, you're not thinkingabout a good future.
But God, I don't care what'sgoing on, God has a good future
for you because he's good.
So the last thing I want to sayis to just remind you about a
path forward.
Have a strong bridge, build astrong bridge, meaning stay
connected to some people of yourpast where you can while you're
building some new territory,while you're building some new
(17:49):
connections, new relationships.
When we're going through change,it's nice and important to
remember what hasn't changed,what people in my life haven't
changed, what things about mylife are stable, so you don't
feel like everything is changed,because that's intense.
Be purposefully grateful toyourself.
Heck, I used to look in themirror and I felt like an idiot
(18:11):
when I did this at thebeginning, because I'd look at
myself in the mirror and justsay, I love you, Lenora, or feel
like an episode of Friends.
I remember there was one likethat.
Anyway, squirrel, I could getdistracted way too easily.
Anyway, looking in the mirror,and I would tell myself, you're
important, or say just goodthings, encourage myself.
And I felt like an idiot when Ifirst did it.
(18:33):
And I certainly didn't believeit.
But keep doing it until you getcomfortable, being kind to
yourself, loving who you are,respecting who you are.
Let me remind you, you did notmake yourself God made you.
He does the making and thesaving.
So quit thinking you have aright to put yourself down
because you actually don't,which leads right to
(18:54):
forgiveness.
Ask God, help me forgive myselfor help me forgive so and so,
because that'll make you free.
And you choose it, not becausesomebody's deserved it, but
because Jesus Christ paid foreveryone's sins.
He took the punishment for it sothat you would be set free.
I don't know what you may havebeen through, but Jesus, well,
(19:18):
they thought they were flat outmurdering him, and they did
murder him, but they couldn'thave taken his life.
That's another episode.
He laid his life down for us.
So he and he picked his lifeback up.
Yes, I absolutely believe in theresurrection of Jesus Christ.
And by the way, death is theforeign object, not life.
That's another episode, too.
(19:39):
Anyway, forgiveness will set youfree.
And that's why Jesus paid forall of our sins.
So that we could be free andhave a relationship and a hope
and a future.
Again, do your best to stayconnected to what hasn't changed
that you want to keep.
Express what you're gratefulfor.
Forgive whatever needs to beforgiven.
(19:59):
Ask God to help you with that.
And let me tell you, you do haveskills.
Again, my father was a veteranin the Korean War, and he had
taken one math class thatsomehow got him into that area
in the military where he becamea crew chief on saberjets.
That was the first war wherethey ever had jet engines.
(20:20):
And that military experienceallowed him to get into multiple
opportunities from othercompanies later on because of
the skills he gained in service.
Let me give you one or two hintsabout what to do if you're
looking for work and you have aveteran background.
So again, you do have skills.
Take the time to translate theveteran language into whatever
(20:42):
that business language might be.
Whenever you change even careersectors, each one seems to have
their own language, acronyms,etc.
It's the same with you.
So take some time to readwebsites, read job descriptions,
and begin to recognize wait aminute, I think what they're
saying here is the same thing Idid.
One thing you can do is call acompany you think you have an
(21:03):
interest in and say, may I havean informational interview with
one of your hiring managers?
Now these days you can Googleany of these things I say.
So look up informationalinterviews.
Use ChatGPT or Grok or somethingto use your military terms and
ask it, what skills does thisfit in the business arena?
(21:24):
And when you're inconversations, remember that
you're someone who understandsteamwork.
You understand work ethic, agreat attitude, being adaptable,
how to handle a stressfulenvironment, so many different
things.
And you need to acknowledgethose good things in you and
know that they are needed inevery sector of business.
(21:45):
So I'm not even sure how to wrapthis up, except to say again,
thank you for your service.
And please remember that it wasa soldier who understood Jesus
Christ more than most peopleduring his entire life.
Bravo.
And I'm happy at any time tohonor our veterans.
Thank you and your families foryour service.
(22:07):
Hey, friend, I hope you enjoyedtoday's episode.
Would you share this withsomeone else who may need to
hear it or go on this journeywith you?
Also, please take 30 seconds andleave a quick review for the
show on Apple Podcasts.
And of course, subscribe if youhaven't already.
It really makes me happy to knowthis podcast is helping you.
And remember, a link to get mybook is in the show notes.
(22:30):
Thank you for listening.
I'll see you back next Mondayfor another episode.
Until then, remember to be kindto you because it makes it a
whole lot easier to be kind toanybody else.
For this episode of Getting Personal With God, I
have a very specific focus and Icouldn't help myself because
it's almost Veterans Day whenthe podcast is coming out.
So I happen to have a greatrespect and regard for our
veterans and all that they dofor us, and we often take for
granted.
So I basically hit on threethings.
One, it's morally right to honorour veterans.
(00:21):
Two, it's a soldier whounderstood the kingdom of God
better than most people ever didwhen Jesus walked on the earth.
And third, veterans have manyskills that fit in many areas,
and certainly the focus andmentality and teamwork that will
profit any company.
And boy, do we need your skillsand attitudes and abilities in
(00:44):
pretty much every sector of ourworkforce.
So if anyone belongs in ourcommunities, it's our veterans.
So know that there are millionsof us who are fans and who are
all for our veteran communitiesthriving after military service,
and we're grateful for allyou've done and all those who
(01:04):
are serving today.
So here we go with the episode.
Do you love God but forget topray?
Or feel guilty instead ofenjoying his presence?
I understand.
I know how unsatisfying timewith God can feel if we believe
he's distant or busy.
I'm Lenora, mom, Jesus lover,and former international
trainer.
If you're looking to feel closerwith God without fear or
(01:26):
pressure, have a greater abilityto receive from him, and desire
more confidence to make animpact with your own life.
Well, get some coffee and let'stalk.
If you're carrying stress andwant support with prayer, I
wrote a book to help you.
100 Prayers, Releasing 100Cares.
It's full of real stories,scripture, and 100 prayers for
(01:48):
every part of life.
A link to the book is in theshow notes.
At the time of recording thisepisode, it is almost Veterans
Day.
So I simply had to honor ourveterans.
If you are a veteran or a familymember of a veteran, thank you
for your service.
Thank you for your support forour country.
I understand that only about 1%of our population serves in our
(02:11):
military, and I appreciate you.
I thank you for your sacrifice,and I ask you not to compare
your service time to someoneelse's.
You did it, period.
Thank you.
My father happens to be a KoreanWar veteran.
He served in 1953.
Well, he served for eight years,but in 1953 he was serving for
(02:33):
the Korean War in MiG Alley.
He was a crew chief for SaberJets.
He never talked about it verymuch.
And he served before he wasmarried and I was ever born.
So I honestly learned all themore about veterans from
veterans that I was honored toserve with.
I had the privilege of directinga program for young people and
for our veterans.
(02:54):
Now, really, the program for theveterans was actually run and
driven by our veterans, but Iwas able to help communicate and
educate our own corporate staff.
I was able to work with outsideorganizations and promote work
and interact with our veterans,which I will always consider a
great honor.
So I want to touch on a couplethings today.
(03:15):
And for the first part is it'sbiblical to honor our veterans.
Romans 13, 7 talks about givinghonor where honor is due.
Do you know that it's morallywrong not to honor yourself if
you served as a veteran or ifyou're a veteran family member?
And again, it's not aboutcomparing I did four years
(03:36):
versus someone who did 30 years,but let's honor that you served
your country, period.
You're volunteered your life.
Most of our veterans today didit strictly as a volunteer.
So again, thank you.
It's our general moralobligation to honor each other
as human beings made in theimage of God, but it is a moral
(03:56):
obligation to say thank you andhonor our veterans because you
put out your life, willing, ifneed be, to lay it down for the
rest of us.
And that is truly something tobe respected, acknowledged, and
celebrated.
It's too easy to think of thingswe could have done different,
could have done better, or itwas nothing.
(04:16):
I don't think that helps us feelsatisfied with the purpose in
our own life.
If you served in our military,thank you for serving the
purpose of protection.
The next thing that was broughtto my mind when I thought about
this episode was I want to tella particular story that came to
my mind about Veterans Day andgetting personal with God.
(04:38):
It's an amazing story, in myopinion.
Matthew chapter 8, verses 5through 13.
It's also in the book of Luke.
A certain rank of soldier wascalled a centurion.
And that man came forward toJesus, appealing to him, saying,
Lord, my servant is lyingparalyzed at home, suffering
terribly.
And Jesus said, I will come andheal him.
(04:58):
But this is what the centurionsaid.
Lord, I'm not worthy to have youcome under my roof, but only say
the word, and my servant will behealed.
And get this.
This is what he said next.
For I too am a man underauthority, with soldiers under
me.
And I say to one, Go and hegoes.
And to another, come and hecomes, and to my servant, do
(05:20):
this and he does it.
When Jesus heard this, hemarveled.
He was amazed.
And he said to those whofollowed him, the people around
him, Truly I tell you, with noone in Israel have I found such
faith.
I tell you, many will come fromeast and west and recline at the
table with Abraham, Isaac, andJacob in the kingdom of heaven,
(05:42):
while the sons of the kingdomwill be thrown out into outer
darkness.
And to the centurion, Jesussaid, Go, let it be done.
Let it be done for you as youhave believed.
And the servant was healed atthat very moment.
Now that's powerful.
Jesus did miracles all aroundthe nation of Israel.
(06:04):
Crowds came, followed him.
Sometimes it said they followedhim because he gave them food to
eat.
Others followed him just to seemore miracles.
But this is one individual, andit happened to be a soldier who
understood Jesus was a man underauthority.
This is a big deal.
(06:25):
And again, I thank God for ourmilitary and for our veterans
who understand the power ofauthority, the power of a chain
of command.
And this centurion soldierunderstood that Jesus didn't
even have to be physicallypresent to heal, because
authority operates throughcommand, not proximity.
(06:46):
He recognized Jesus had commandat a higher realm, because he
translated it to the miraculous.
(07:11):
He must have been watching whathad been going on over the weeks
or months.
Now the book of Luke adds thatactually the centurion sent
Jewish elders on his behalf,showing humility, because he
knew he wasn't a Jew.
And the centurion had built asynagogue in that town.
He showed great honor to God'speople.
He had some understanding of theJewish faith.
(07:32):
Though he was a Roman, he reallyregarded the kingdom of God and
he recognized it.
Now, about the word authority,it means delegated or confirmed,
conferred authority, the rightto act, the power to command and
enforce obedience.
Not a brute force, notsuggestions, it's authority
rooted in structure.
(07:53):
Jesus was under the authority ofFather in heaven.
And I'm just so impressed andproud that it happens to be a
soldier that understood Jesusbetter than most did.
And today, a lot of Christiansdon't know the authority in the
name of Jesus.
And yet it's people likesoldiers, those who understand
(08:15):
authority, recognize this isn'tspells.
When God has power, this isn'tsome weird fairy thing, some
weird, like you conjure up somewitch's brew.
This is a kingdom withauthority.
And the people that haveauthority have it because
they're under the name or theorganization that owns the
(08:38):
authority.
And the soldier recognized thatJesus' authority flowed because
he was submitted to a highersource.
Again, the Father.
Later on in the Gospels, whichis in the New Testament, first
four books of the New Testament,Jesus said, If you've seen me,
you've seen the Father.
Another place in prayer, Jesussays, Father, I've shown them
(09:01):
who you are.
I've made your name known.
And what better day to celebratea soldier recognizing God than
Veterans Day?
Again, what another reason tohonor the kind of integrity, the
kind of respect and strengththat our military members have
had and their families whosacrifice and serve along with
(09:24):
them.
Historically, a soldier has apowerful story forever about
understanding Jesus Christ andwho he was, and how I wish for
every single one of you to knowhim today, to call on the name
of Jesus, the King of Kings.
We can each come under authorityand have all of the life that he
(09:45):
provided, because that's what hecame for.
John 10, 10.
I came that you'd have life andhave it to the full.
I want every one of ourveterans, veteran family members
to have life to the full.
Now, because I work with ourveterans and I understand some
things about transition fromveterans out of the military,
and I understand some of thestruggles that some of our
(10:06):
veterans have had for variousreasons when they have gone into
civilian life.
That's my desire is to encourageyou.
Because any kind of transition,transition from one job to
another, transition in life, inrelationships, and transition
out of a career of service goinginto the civilian life, all of
(10:26):
those changes involve loss.
You're gaining something new,but you're giving up something
you're comfortable with.
Or you may have suffered greatlyin your service, and you don't
know how to untangle all that.
Deep impacts based on what youexperienced.
So let me remind you of a versethat says, Blessed are those who
(10:47):
mourn, for they shall becomforted.
And there are different ways tomourn, but part of the mourning
process, whether it includestears or not, it certainly
includes some communication.
And I hope you will reach out.
And if you have any need,because of grief you have or
(11:08):
anxieties you deal with, or youdon't understand what you're
wrestling with, as a veteran,let me encourage you to be the
man or woman of courage that youare by reaching out for help.
Again, God said in Genesis, it'snot good that we're alone as
people, as humans.
We need each other.
We're made out of relationship.
(11:30):
God said, Let us make man afterour likeness and our image.
Elohim and Father, Son, HolySpirit means we came out of a
God of relationship.
We're made for relationship.
So to be strong requiresemotional courage.
Courage to say, I need help.
Courage to say, I don't know howto do this.
Courage to grieve.
(11:51):
Grieve traumas you faced, grieveloss and change.
Express the things you weregrateful for and don't know how
to do differently.
Express things you want.
Something I'd like to recommend,and I will put a link to this in
the in the episode notes, is Ihighly recommend the Grief
Recovery Program or severalother organizations that help
(12:16):
with dealing with loss andchange.
It's a normal process.
We all go through loss, but mostof us have not been given the
tools to process loss and getinto a good place again.
You know, I'm all for teachingus how to build a life, build a
career, build skills.
That's good.
Yet we all face loss, and mostof us don't really know how to
(12:39):
do that.
I went through a time where bothmy mother and my children's
father were fighting cancer.
I mean, it was my ex-husband atthe same time.
And it was tough.
Uh now, obviously, we werehoping and praying for complete
recovery from cancer.
And I've seen miraculous thingswith cancer, but in this case,
(13:01):
both of them passed away aboutthree months apart.
And as I was getting towardsthat, I said, God, I don't know
how to do this.
I don't know how to do this.
I need tools.
And I ended up coming across theGrief Recovery Program.
And I am so glad I did.
Later on, I got certified inthat program.
So I highly recommend that book,that website.
(13:23):
They have coaching.
There's quite a few things youcan do.
But let me encourage you, you'renot supposed to stuff it.
You're not supposed to justpretend it's okay and power
through it or keep yourselfbusy.
There's a lot of myths withgrief.
Even if you can find someonejust who doesn't have to be a
therapist, just a heart withears to hear you talk through
(13:45):
some things you wish weredifferent, things you were
grateful for, things you want tochoose to forgive so that you're
free.
Certainly forgiving yourself.
When you express some of thesethings, you're untangling a
bunch of unsaid conversationsinside.
And it sounds so simple, butit's incredibly powerful.
(14:07):
Plus, I know what it is to weepwhen you need to weep.
I know what it is to mourn inmultiple different ways.
But what I know is true and haveexperienced is that you can get
back to a very good place.
Don't let your quote new normalbe carrying massive weights on
(14:28):
your back and in your soul forthe rest of your life.
That's not what God has intendedfor you.
And there is a pathway throughit to a beautiful place again.
When I went through a period ofgreat anxiety, I grabbed my book
again and just kind of kind oflike that Russian roulette thing
when you just open a page andhope you find something you need
(14:49):
to hear.
And I did.
And it was a reminder thatsometimes the root of fear is
grief.
Sometimes we know what we'velost.
You've lost a person, or you'velost a job, or you've lost
what's normal.
But sometimes we don't recognizewhat we lost.
A whole sense of safety.
(15:09):
Maybe that's what you lost, asense of being safe, a sense of
having purpose, a sense ofknowing what I'm on this earth
for, knowing what I'm supposedto do today.
That's legitimate loss as well.
And when you can get in touchwith those things, you can
grieve the loss instead ofthinking, I'm just stuck in this
(15:30):
place that feels lost.
So please pursue grief recoveryprogram with Cole James or one
of their many counselors, or gothrough the Hiring Our Hero
program, or another excellentprogram specifically for
veterans.
And I'll add a couple of thosenames again into the show notes.
But then the third thing, I wantto encourage you, as a veteran,
(15:53):
you have many skills that youhave to offer.
If you are serving currently andheaded toward transition out of
your military service, or ifyou're in those first few years
and been struggling with it, letme remind you of a couple
things.
It's always smart when you'regoing through transition to have
a bridge.
What do I mean by that?
Meaning if you can stay somewhatconnected to what you had in the
(16:18):
past, maybe some contacts fromyour past relationships while
you're also building newrelationships.
Some of you have some greatfamilies and a lot of structure
there to help you, and othersdon't.
But there are many people whocare, many people you can begin
to build relationships with.
I do recommend going to a goodchurch that does believe the
(16:39):
Bible, and also it's importantthat you look in the mirror and
have gratitude for yourself.
Speak to yourself, become yourown best friend in the sense of
saying, Hey, you matter.
What you did matter, what youhave inside of you matters, you
do belong, and there are greatthings ahead for you.
Another verse, Jeremiah 29, 11,is so smart.
(17:02):
Imagine that.
God's super smart.
It's the one where God says, Iknow the thoughts I have towards
you, thoughts that are good andnot evil, to give you a hope and
a future.
God knows how important hope is.
And hope, in his definition, isa good expectation, an anchored
good expectation for yourfuture.
And he has a future for you.
If you're struggling withsuicidal thoughts, then I can
(17:25):
tell you, you're not thinkingabout a good future.
But God, I don't care what'sgoing on, God has a good future
for you because he's good.
So the last thing I want to sayis to just remind you about a
path forward.
Have a strong bridge, build astrong bridge, meaning stay
connected to some people of yourpast where you can while you're
building some new territory,while you're building some new
(17:49):
connections, new relationships.
When we're going through change,it's nice and important to
remember what hasn't changed,what people in my life haven't
changed, what things about mylife are stable, so you don't
feel like everything is changed,because that's intense.
Be purposefully grateful toyourself.
Heck, I used to look in themirror and I felt like an idiot
(18:11):
when I did this at thebeginning, because I'd look at
myself in the mirror and justsay, I love you, Lenora, or feel
like an episode of Friends.
I remember there was one likethat.
Anyway, squirrel, I could getdistracted way too easily.
Anyway, looking in the mirror,and I would tell myself, you're
important, or say just goodthings, encourage myself.
And I felt like an idiot when Ifirst did it.
(18:33):
And I certainly didn't believeit.
But keep doing it until you getcomfortable, being kind to
yourself, loving who you are,respecting who you are.
Let me remind you, you did notmake yourself God made you.
He does the making and thesaving.
So quit thinking you have aright to put yourself down
because you actually don't,which leads right to
(18:54):
forgiveness.
Ask God, help me forgive myselfor help me forgive so and so,
because that'll make you free.
And you choose it, not becausesomebody's deserved it, but
because Jesus Christ paid foreveryone's sins.
He took the punishment for it sothat you would be set free.
I don't know what you may havebeen through, but Jesus, well,
(19:18):
they thought they were flat outmurdering him, and they did
murder him, but they couldn'thave taken his life.
That's another episode.
He laid his life down for us.
So he and he picked his lifeback up.
Yes, I absolutely believe in theresurrection of Jesus Christ.
And by the way, death is theforeign object, not life.
That's another episode, too.
(19:39):
Anyway, forgiveness will set youfree.
And that's why Jesus paid forall of our sins.
So that we could be free andhave a relationship and a hope
and a future.
Again, do your best to stayconnected to what hasn't changed
that you want to keep.
Express what you're gratefulfor.
Forgive whatever needs to beforgiven.
(19:59):
Ask God to help you with that.
And let me tell you, you do haveskills.
Again, my father was a veteranin the Korean War, and he had
taken one math class thatsomehow got him into that area
in the military where he becamea crew chief on saberjets.
That was the first war wherethey ever had jet engines.
(20:20):
And that military experienceallowed him to get into multiple
opportunities from othercompanies later on because of
the skills he gained in service.
Let me give you one or two hintsabout what to do if you're
looking for work and you have aveteran background.
So again, you do have skills.
Take the time to translate theveteran language into whatever
(20:42):
that business language might be.
Whenever you change even careersectors, each one seems to have
their own language, acronyms,etc.
It's the same with you.
So take some time to readwebsites, read job descriptions,
and begin to recognize wait aminute, I think what they're
saying here is the same thing Idid.
One thing you can do is call acompany you think you have an
(21:03):
interest in and say, may I havean informational interview with
one of your hiring managers?
Now these days you can Googleany of these things I say.
So look up informationalinterviews.
Use ChatGPT or Grok or somethingto use your military terms and
ask it, what skills does thisfit in the business arena?
(21:24):
And when you're inconversations, remember that
you're someone who understandsteamwork.
You understand work ethic, agreat attitude, being adaptable,
how to handle a stressfulenvironment, so many different
things.
And you need to acknowledgethose good things in you and
know that they are needed inevery sector of business.
(21:45):
So I'm not even sure how to wrapthis up, except to say again,
thank you for your service.
And please remember that it wasa soldier who understood Jesus
Christ more than most peopleduring his entire life.
Bravo.
And I'm happy at any time tohonor our veterans.
Thank you and your families foryour service.
(22:07):
Hey, friend, I hope you enjoyedtoday's episode.
Would you share this withsomeone else who may need to
hear it or go on this journeywith you?
Also, please take 30 seconds andleave a quick review for the
show on Apple Podcasts.
And of course, subscribe if youhaven't already.
It really makes me happy to knowthis podcast is helping you.
And remember, a link to get mybook is in the show notes.
(22:30):
Thank you for listening.
I'll see you back next Mondayfor another episode.
Until then, remember to be kindto you because it makes it a
whole lot easier to be kind toanybody else.
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