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REASONED RESILIENCY: A RATIONAL DEVOTIONAL FOR FIRST RESPONDERS
Reasoned A Rational Devotional for First Responders is unique in that it combines a spiritual message with practical advice for a daily dose of uplift. Nondenominational, and applicable to all spiritual philosophies, it probes the spiritual values of the reader and encourages them to grow in their resilience and wellness. The authors are both Senior Mentors for NAVIGATING ADVERSITY (an internationally recognized program for improving resilience for First Responders) and chaplains within that program.
This devotional is an ideal gift for a First Responder, and should have a place in every desk, ambulance, fire rig, and patrol car for those times when a spiritual lift, and some resilience building is needed. There is a devotional for every day, because an uplift is an important part of working in a field that takes a piece of you each time you put on the uniform.
This devotional is an ideal gift for a First Responder, and should have a place in every desk, ambulance, fire rig, and patrol car for those times when a spiritual lift, and some resilience building is needed. There is a devotional for every day, because an uplift is an important part of working in a field that takes a piece of you each time you put on the uniform.
399 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 12, 2022
About the author
Joseph Courtemanche
10 books29 followersJoseph Courtemanche is a former Police Officer and Middle East/North Africa analyst. He is a distinguished veteran of the Naval Security Group of the United States Navy, and an Arabic linguist with training at the University of Minnesota and the Defense Language Institute (Honors Graduate).
Joseph holds several military awards, including two flag letters of commendation for his work in providing real-time intelligence support to commanders in the field. His experience provides the background that’s crucial to his writing in the thriller genre. He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, and holds degrees from two other colleges as well.
As a performer, he's appeared on television in a variety of commercials, and does voice over work for both radio and television. He delights in doing his own audio books.
His greatest joy is working as a professional Santa for the last fifteen years, appearing in a number of television spots as the Jolly Old Elf.
He lives in Saint Paul, Minnesota with his wife and dog. Both of whom tolerate him fairly well.
Joseph holds several military awards, including two flag letters of commendation for his work in providing real-time intelligence support to commanders in the field. His experience provides the background that’s crucial to his writing in the thriller genre. He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, and holds degrees from two other colleges as well.
As a performer, he's appeared on television in a variety of commercials, and does voice over work for both radio and television. He delights in doing his own audio books.
His greatest joy is working as a professional Santa for the last fifteen years, appearing in a number of television spots as the Jolly Old Elf.
He lives in Saint Paul, Minnesota with his wife and dog. Both of whom tolerate him fairly well.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
January 1, 2023
Thoughtful daily reflections to enhance personal resiliency and spiritual capital
Reasoned Resiliency is an excellent resource for first responders and others (such as military veterans) dealing with professional trauma and stress during the course of their careers. I was privileged last year to participate in the "Navigating Adversity" resiliency training program developed by Dr. Renee Thornton. I know the authors, Rodger Ruge and Joe Courtemanche, and several other mentors who serve in the Navigating Adversity program. So when I heard about this "rational devotional," I knew I wanted a copy.
This book answered a great need I had in retaining what I learned in "Navigating Adversity." I felt the initial program, while outstanding as an individual course, did not provide enough for me to retain the information and carry it out on a daily basis. I needed something to coach me along after the course ended and to keep the key principles going in my life. This devotional fit the bill perfectly. So for those who have taken the Navigating Adversity program, this devotional is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Reasoned Resiliency is subtitled "A Rational Devotional for First Responders." As such, it reflects the eight pillars (or "accounts") of wellness taught in the program. This subtitle conveys the intended idea that this is an "agnostic" devotional as opposed to a religious one. Most Evangelical Christians and Roman Catholics understand a devotional as a daily reading of scripture or prayer along with some meditative reflection. While this devotional uses that familiar structure, the spiritual content is generic and entirely meant to assist the reader in applying their own faith tradition to the spiritual component... or no faith tradition, if that's the case. So even atheists, agnostics or those of other faith traditions would be entirely comfortable with this approach. The downside of this approach is that those with an active, organized faith tradition may find this "spiritual lite" approach a bit watery and metaphysical (all that "Higher Power" stuff). But keep in mind, the Spiritual Account of Wellness is only one of eight pillars (Spiritual, Financial, Physical, Psychological, Professional, Social, Emotional, and Cognitive) addressed in each of the 366 daily devotionals in "Reasoned Resiliency."
This book is meant for any first responder. As a military veteran and sometimes church counselor, I find its advice to be practical and engaging. If you or a loved one need to learn to think differently to overcome trauma, negative memories, or stress, this book will be a blessing. The only issue that might put off some readers is the use of terminology right out of the resiliency community but not familiar to those outside. For example, "absolute value system" is a term straight from Navigating Adversity which simply means "convictions rooted in personal faith, dogma, philosophy, or ideology." Perhaps this devotional would have benefitted from a glossary to explain those terms to those outside the the resiliency community. Yet, for those who have taken a resiliency course before or are interested in the concepts, this devotional is a great resource for self-coaching.
This 366 day devotional is not organized by date but by day ("Day 101") so it can be started anytime of the year... and re-read over and over again. While I did not read all 366 of the daily devotions, I read ahead and read enough to get a feel for the style, tone and content. I will be reading this alongside a more traditional Christian devotional moving forward.
All in all, I highly recommend "Reasoned Resiliency."
Reasoned Resiliency is an excellent resource for first responders and others (such as military veterans) dealing with professional trauma and stress during the course of their careers. I was privileged last year to participate in the "Navigating Adversity" resiliency training program developed by Dr. Renee Thornton. I know the authors, Rodger Ruge and Joe Courtemanche, and several other mentors who serve in the Navigating Adversity program. So when I heard about this "rational devotional," I knew I wanted a copy.
This book answered a great need I had in retaining what I learned in "Navigating Adversity." I felt the initial program, while outstanding as an individual course, did not provide enough for me to retain the information and carry it out on a daily basis. I needed something to coach me along after the course ended and to keep the key principles going in my life. This devotional fit the bill perfectly. So for those who have taken the Navigating Adversity program, this devotional is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Reasoned Resiliency is subtitled "A Rational Devotional for First Responders." As such, it reflects the eight pillars (or "accounts") of wellness taught in the program. This subtitle conveys the intended idea that this is an "agnostic" devotional as opposed to a religious one. Most Evangelical Christians and Roman Catholics understand a devotional as a daily reading of scripture or prayer along with some meditative reflection. While this devotional uses that familiar structure, the spiritual content is generic and entirely meant to assist the reader in applying their own faith tradition to the spiritual component... or no faith tradition, if that's the case. So even atheists, agnostics or those of other faith traditions would be entirely comfortable with this approach. The downside of this approach is that those with an active, organized faith tradition may find this "spiritual lite" approach a bit watery and metaphysical (all that "Higher Power" stuff). But keep in mind, the Spiritual Account of Wellness is only one of eight pillars (Spiritual, Financial, Physical, Psychological, Professional, Social, Emotional, and Cognitive) addressed in each of the 366 daily devotionals in "Reasoned Resiliency."
This book is meant for any first responder. As a military veteran and sometimes church counselor, I find its advice to be practical and engaging. If you or a loved one need to learn to think differently to overcome trauma, negative memories, or stress, this book will be a blessing. The only issue that might put off some readers is the use of terminology right out of the resiliency community but not familiar to those outside. For example, "absolute value system" is a term straight from Navigating Adversity which simply means "convictions rooted in personal faith, dogma, philosophy, or ideology." Perhaps this devotional would have benefitted from a glossary to explain those terms to those outside the the resiliency community. Yet, for those who have taken a resiliency course before or are interested in the concepts, this devotional is a great resource for self-coaching.
This 366 day devotional is not organized by date but by day ("Day 101") so it can be started anytime of the year... and re-read over and over again. While I did not read all 366 of the daily devotions, I read ahead and read enough to get a feel for the style, tone and content. I will be reading this alongside a more traditional Christian devotional moving forward.
All in all, I highly recommend "Reasoned Resiliency."
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