Faith, Hope, Love, & Deployment: 40 Devotions for Military Couples

by Heather Gray

Just as Heather Gray and her deployed husband realized, many military couples need more than their own imaginations to keep their marriages flourishing during deployments. This is their answer to that dilemma.
During her husband David's last deployment to Afghanistan, Heather and he realized the need for a devotional that would not only draw them closer to the Lord, but also to each other while separated. They envisioned a combination of scripture memorization, stories of hope and struggles, a revitalization of the lost art of letter writing, and practical ideas for keeping connected during deployment. Not finding such a book, they began writing Faith, Hope, Love, & Deployment. Sadly, three months after beginning the project, David was killed in action.

''To answer the question of why I'm willing to lay my life on the line for my country. . . .'' So began the letter Heather received from her husband on the day of his funeral. The letter was an assignment from Faith, Hope, Love, & Deployment. She knew then the value of the devotional they had been writing for military couples.

At first Heather didn't think she could finish it without his input and support. But in the months that followed, she realized that we actually learn and grow the most through our pain and trials. She finished the devotional with the hope it would be as much a blessing for other military couples as it was for her and David.

Genres: Devotional

240 pages, Paperback

First published June 5, 2014

About the author

There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads data base.

Reviews

[Kayla Ziesmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this book together led to so many deep, thoughtful conversations over the past 40ish weeks. I can't imagine how difficult it was to finish publishing it alone, but I will be forever grateful to the authors.

[Nancy Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heather Gray and her husband, Major David Gray, were working together on this devotional for military couples when he was killed in action while deployed in Afghanistan. Despite her grief, Heather completed the book, her desire to help military couples undiminished.

The devotional contains forty brief chapters, each touching on a topic that faces a deployed couple: separation, loneliness, disappointment, anger, even practical topics like finances and productivity. While the devotional section is quickly read, the questions at the end of each segment can take as much time and thought as you'd like to give them. For example, on the chapter regarding separation, the author asks such questions as: Does absence really make the heart grow fonder? Do you think it is possible to be physically separated and have nothing in your relationship change?

In addition to the questions, there is a writing section in which you compose a letter to your spouse expressing something that relates to the topic, along with a suggestion specific to the deployment situation; for example, "Brainstorm possible sources of anxiety during deployment. Leave room beside each entry so that you can write the antithesis."

I thought the fact that the author's husband was killed during his deployment might make it hard for readers to hold onto hope during their own deployments. But my friends in the military have expressed no qualms about it. They tell me that the book's value as a resource for couples separated for long periods of time far outweighs any misgivings a reader might have. Heather herself received some comfort when on the day of her husband's funeral, she read David's answer to the question, "Why am I willing to lay my life on the line for my country?"

You'll probably want to buy two copies, so spouses can think about and work through the devotions together.