Last week I had the opportunity to go to San Antonio, TX for the USAA DigitalMilEx and meet some extraordinary men and women serving our military community. Originally this post was going to be about all the things I learned and the people I met. However I’m still processing the new information and perusuing my notes and realized I wasn’t quite ready. Besides this much awesomeness in one post is enough. I will have lessons I learned ready for you next Tuesday.
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Search Results for: military
3 Myths about Military Spouses
This post is sponsored by Martinsburg College. I received compensation for this post through my relationship with the Quality Blue Community. All opinions are my own.
There has been a great deal of shaming in the Military Spouse community as of late. Today, I want to address 3 myths about the military spouse.
Myth #1 Military spouses are lazy.
Far from it. A better assessment may be military spouses stay busy to a fault. The majority of my friends hold multiple responsibilities, responsibilities that do not decrease when our soldiers are away. When my husband first deployed I was advised to keep busy, to distract myself from his absence by being to busy to notice he was gone. I tried. It didn’t work. I still knew he was gone. I was just tired all the time. What I should have done was learn a little self care. Military spouses aren’t lazy, they are resilient, there for one another at a moments notice, great volunteers, and the majority of them need to learn to slow down a little. I have fellow friends/Milso’s who have earned their nursing degrees, written books, started organizations, run non-profits, and created small businesses. Which leads me to myth #2.
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I had the opportunity to sit down with Wendy Brown, Fort Bliss Bugle Staff, and share my thoughts on being voted Fort Bliss’s Military Spouse of the Year. Brown also spoke with my husband John, Judy Davis - The Direction Diva, and Pastor Neal at First Presbyterian Church where I work as the Director of Family Ministries. Read more at The Bugle.
| Date: | February 5, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Appearance: | Fort Bliss Military Spouse of Year: The Bugle |
| Outlet: | The Bugle, Ft Bliss, TX |
| Location: | Ft Bliss, Texas |
| Format: | Newspaper |
Military Spouses: We are in this together
I was 27 when my husband decided to re-enter the military. After six years of marriage and two children I had braced my self for the idea that he would re-enter law enforcement. The Army was not something I expected. In fact when he first mentioned enlisting I enlisted the help of good friends to run an intervention. My knowledge of the military came from hallmark movies, pictures of my grandparents, and vets at the homeless shelter I volunteered at in college.
Our son was three, our daughter was one and only a few months following her cancer diagnosis and enucleation. Needless to say I was stunned.
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Military Ministry and Your Church
Despite whether or not you live in a Military town you are surrounded by Military (Active Duty, Reserves, Veterans and their family). This is a group that the church as a whole can easily let slip through the cracks by assuming that their needs can be meet in the various other ministries provided. However, those who are and have served come from a unique culture and the struggles they face need to be met by the Church. Here are a few statistics that I hope show you why it is important we reach out to these men and women.
22 Service Members/Veterans commit suicide every day!
80,000 That is the number the Army alone is reducing it’s troops by in the next year. 80,000 Soldiers will be re-entering the civilian world in the next 12 months (that does not include Marines, Sailors, Reserves, etc…)
If you’ve been following the news at all you know the VA isn’t exactly holding up their end of the bargain.
It’s time for the Church to step in!
My Experience
I graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary in 2005. Soon after, my husband re-enlisted in the Military. Over the past few years he has deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan. For the last 5 years I have held the position of Ministry Director at Sunrise Baptist Church in El Paso, TX. Sunrise is located 5 minutes outside of Ft. Bliss. Due to our proximity to Ft Bliss our church has been primarily Military (retired and active) for years. David Turner, a former pastor of Sunrise, once said that “We train them up and the Army sends them out.” Due to the statistics of our congregation and direct community, every ministry I have led in the last few years has been approached through the eyes of ministering to the military. Whether it has been Children’s Ministry, Women’s Ministry, Men’s Bible Study, Youth, or Family we have approached each with the needs of the men and women serving forefront in our minds.
How I Can Help You
I would like to help you begin a Military Ministry at your Church. Whether you have one Veteran or 50 Active Duty in attendance it is important to begin now as more and more soldiers are retiring from service and re-entering the workplace. They need your support, and I can offer you mine.
To begin I will send you a questionnaire asking various questions about your Church and the community around you. After receiving your answers we will schedule a 45 minute phone call to discuss an action plan — $39 one Consultation Call
Following the call we will discuss a kick off event for your church. Costs will vary based on the level of participation you wish to receive from me. I can provide a full event plan, with social media advertising on pinterest/facebook/twitter, a blog post on www.HopeNGriffin.com highlighting and promoting your upcoming kickoff, and availability to speak.
Email me at Hope@hopengriffin.com to express your interest. I look forward to hearing from you and beginning this journey together.
