The past few weeks have been something I can not describe to most. I have not felt like doing much that I enjoy and spend a lot of time laying in bed in pain. I don’t want people to think I quit writing or that my future endeavors are in question. Instead, it’s more alive than ever. I would like to spend a minute explaining to yall what a bit of my families future looks like.

First off, we as a family felt the pull of the Lord towards the ministry of being salt and light to the world around us. Myself I felt that I was not spared a death that was 130% certain to happen. Yeah, those mathematicians sure didn’t understand that 100% is the highest possible rate, and 100% means it will happen. They also forgot to factor in prayer and God into their numbers. Either way, I knew the moment I woke up that I was spared from death because God had a plan for me, and I needed to find it. I have since found myself in church and teaching children, along with getting my Masters in Christian Education and will be spending the next year or so getting a doctorate in Bible Studies.

Riding home from a funeral last year, I told my wife I was so tired of my brothers taking their own lives and wanted to find a way to help them. The hard part was how do I help more than the ones in my phone and even more important how do I help where so many have failed. This tugged at my heart harder than anything for almost a year as I pondered my future.

While looking at different ministries in God service, we had talked through in my family a few possibilities. The first was missionary work. We discussed this, and it was a strong candidate for a period of time.  The issue is I felt that pull toward the United States, not other countries. So we then explored something like evangelism, which is a little hard for my large family of athletes. We want to continue letting our children play sports and I truly enjoy coaching and find it to be a passion that I don’t think is something God wants me to give up but to use to His service also. So we had been praying for almost two years what is it that God wants from me.

My father says God gave you a life that is suited toward the calling He has for you. I’m not sure how it really happened other than I was in a sermon listening to an evangelist a day after listening to a song that spoke to me and a few hours after seeing a video that had my heart in tears. It all made sense to me now. My passions and calling in life are intertwined.

How many churches have you been to that had a veteran outreach program? The answer for many is none. Most churches have a nursing home program, ladies meetings, children outreach, and even jail or juvenile detention outreachs, but a local veteran outreach program is not something that is common.

Then, I looked at it from the veterans’ side of the glass. What better setting than a church to first find the brotherhood they are missing and second a place to help others. I think many have a bad understanding of churches. For many, it is a place to serve others. Many veterans are just looking for a place to call home. A church family is a great place for that.

Now, back to the plan. Me and my wife are working now on launching from our church the first of these veteran focused ministries. We want to figure out how to run it along with putting together the curriculum and work out all the kinks of starting this ministry so we can start training others to do it also. The goal is not to just help as many as we can ourselves. The goal is to train the trainer and get as many of these outreaches going in as many churches in the Unites States as possible. I hear we support the troops from churches all the time, so now let’s not just support them. Let’s give them a home and give them the place to serve after they have served. Let them see that God still loves them even if they don’t love themselves.

There is more we are working on to go along with this, but for now, I will share this and tell you we are planning to name the outreach Finding A Home, Veterans Outreach and Support Group.

As we get further into it, I will share the ups and downs of our journey, but for now after the surgery I am having on Tuesday I will be writing the mission statement and working on the first set of documents needed to start the outreach through our home church. Please pray God gives us the wisdom we need to reach our brothers in arms and find others to help us along the road we will be traveling.