Interview with Jocelyn C. Green, author of   Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragement for Military Wives

and  

Faith Deployed....Again: More Daily Encouragement for Military Wives  

1. Could you share with us the inspiration behind "Faith Deployed...Again" and what readers can expect from it?

The inspiration for Faith Deployed . . . Again was the same as the inspiration for the first book I wrote for military wives, Faith Deployed. Put simply, military wives need encouragement, and the best source is God's Word.  

As a former Coast Guard wife, I was so desperate for biblical encouragement that spoke directly to me. To have an opportunity to collect this type of encouragement from twenty-eight other military wives from every branch of service and have it published by Moody is an incredible gift. I never once lacked motivation to work on this project.  

2. The title of your sequel is "Faith Deployed...Again." What is the significance behind the phrase "Faith Deployed," and can the phrase (and the book itself) have meaning for those who aren't military wives, as well?

I think of "faith deployed" as a faith called into action. Whether your military family experiences deployments or not, military life requires that we all deploy our faith in order to respond biblically to each trial we face. While this book was written by and for military wives, using illustrations from the military lifestyle, anyone who reads the book will come away with a deeper understanding of God's Word and how it applies to trials we face.  

Military wives will be likely to get the most out of it, since it speaks directly to their unique lifestyle, but I have heard from many civilians, and men, who have also benefitted from reading it.

3. But if the troops are coming home soon from Afghanistan, do we still really need this book?

Yes, we do. Faith Deployed...Again was created to encourage military wives during all the seasons of a career, regardless of where they stand in the deployment cycle.  

Military wives of all branches, all over the globe, are hungry for spiritual nourishment. That need isn't going to disappear when troops come home. In fact, only one of the book's eight sections is devoted to deployments. There are plenty of other challenges in the military lifestyle even without having a husband deployed to a combat zone.  

As a Coast Guard wife, my husband never fought in a war, but I still desperately needed the hope that comes only from God's Word. The biblical concepts illustrated in this book will strengthen and encourage military wives during times of both peace and war.

4. The rates of post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury among soldiers and veterans are increasing at an alarming rate. How does this affect the spouses and children of these veterans?

The spouses and children make adjustments to how they interact with the veteran, and how they live in their own home. Emotional detachment is very common among vets with PTSD, so the wife and children often crave a connection that their husband/father simply isn't able to give at this stage. This means they feel lonely, and sometimes emotionally abandoned. They might be angry and resentful that he changed so much because of his combat experience, or they could genuinely grieve the loss of the way their family used to be.  

Several of our writers in Faith Deployed...Again are married to veterans with PTSD, and share their insights in the book. I also highly recommend the Combat Trauma Healing Manual for veterans, and for the wives, When War Comes Home: Christ-centered Healing for Wives of Combat Veterans.

5. What are some practical ways that individuals can support military wives?

• Quite often, if you just say "what can I do for you?" or "I'm here to help you" the wife may be overwhelmed enough to not even know what to ask for. Give her some ideas, perhaps in the form of a coupon booklet for free babysitting, homemade cookies, a coffee date, running errands, an hour or two of housework, etc.
• Find out what's broken and fix it. Computer problems are a big deal, especially since so many couples rely on email or Web cams to communicate. If the car is broken down, offer to give rides.
• Mow the lawn, pull weeds, other yard work- cleaning out gutters-those seasonal tasks that the deployed spouse may have typically done.
• Bring a meal over so that's one less thing a stressed out spouse would have to think about.
• Visiting is a great mood lifter, but ask first. And if you get a couple negative responses, don't take it personally.
• Drop off a basket of favorite foods and/or a movie rental you know she's been wanting to see. (Other ideas for a military wife care package can be found here:   
• Pray for her!   

6. Why is it critical to pay special attention to supporting the military wife?