America knows that freedom doesn’t come cheap.  There is always a high price to pay for liberty — and those who serve in the military bear the brunt of the expense.  Putting your life on the line for your country takes a heavy toll physically, psychologically, and spiritually.  That is why, in addition to the many other services provided for military personnel, our government funds a chaplain corps to meet their spiritual needs.  Military chaplains help service men and women to live out their constitutional right to the free exercise of religion, even while deployed.

This week Kevin talks with Bob and John Freiberg, a father and son who both serve as Navy chaplains.  Bob and John explain the duties of a chaplain, and why they provide a service that other types of counselors simply cannot.  As a military corps, chaplains are deployed with soldiers wherever they go.  They understand firsthand what servicemen go through, unlike professional counselors with no military experience.  And even more importantly, chaplains recognize and address the underlying spiritual causes of struggles faced by service men and women returning from active duty.  All too commonly they are afflicted by grief, fear, guilt, and other emotional burdens that feel inescapable.  More than psychological techniques or medication, people with these struggles need to know that there is a God who loves them, that right and wrong truly exist, and that God never abandons you no matter what you’ve done or what situation you’re in.  Bob and John share some incredible stories of how they have seen God transform the lives of veterans when nothing else could help them.  They also provide insight into the difficult life of a soldier, giving us even more reason to appreciate both the defenders of our nation, and the chaplains who minister to them.

“If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” — Romans 8:31b-32

This episode first aired on December 13th, 2015.