Called to Serve: Encouragement, Support, and Inspiration for Military Families

by Penny Monetti, Tony Monetti

Overview

Over 2.9 million US military personnel—facing serious emotional and spiritual challenges—serve in more than 150 countries. Called to Serve pinpoints the needs of these military families. Real-life stories drawn from twenty-three years of military experience offer encouragement, humor, and tools to combat relational threats from the perspective of the “Warrior” (husband) and his “Spouse.” Thirty compelling, uplifting, and encouraging devotionals address the top identified stressors affecting military personnel and their families. Each account, tied to relevant Scripture, whets the spiritual palate, encouraging the reader to seek additional encouragement from the Bible.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781572934580
Publisher:	Our Daily Bread Publishing
Publication date:	04/01/2011
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	1,239,280
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 6.40(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	3 Months to 18 Years

About the Author

With 24 years of accrued experience, the Monettis and their three children know military life. Lieutenant Colonel Tony Monetti (USAF, Ret.) is a Distinguished Flying Cross recipient and a former B-2 stealth bomber, B-1, and B-52 pilot who has written numerous articles for military publications. Penny Monetti is an inspirational author who speaks nationwide and is certified through the American Association of Christian Counselors and the American Counseling Association to help military families with post-traumatic stress. The Monettis have shared the message of this book on television and radio programs, including Focus and the Family.

Table of Contents

Preface 9

Acknowledgments 13

Part 1 Fear

1 God's Got My Twelve: Learning to Trust God 17

2 Fear Not: Going into Battle 23

3 Bed Rest and Casseroles: Coping with the Unknown 29

4 There I Was: The First Combat Mission 34

5 Guess What, Mom? I'm Signing Up! Surrendering Our Children to the Lord 39

6 The Rabbi's Tattoos: Why We Fight 45

Part 2 Transition

7 Please Hear What I'm Not Saying: Taking Time to Listen 55

8 Old Lady on the Train: God's Predestined Plan 62

9 There's a Toilet in My Hallway: Finding Blessings during Tough Times 68

10 Give Me My Sunglasses: Balancing Family and Career 72

11 Bella Italia! Now Let's Go Home: Adjusting to Foreign Military Relocations 77

12 EOS No More: Preparing for Change 84

13 When the Honeymoon Is Over: Life After Deployments 90

Part 3 Loneliness and Grief

14 A New Day's Dawn: Finding Hope after Loss 99

15 The Road Back Home: Winning Battles in the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder War 106

16 Will He Ever Really Come Home? Restoring Hope to Families Living with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder 118

17 The Academy Pew: Persevering through Loneliness 132

18 Get This Elephant Off My Head! Lifting the Weight of Depression 137

19 I Choose Us: When Love Disappears 143

Part 4 Avoiding Destructive Behavior

20 Don't Play with Thunderstorms: Avoiding Risky Situations while Deployed 151

21 Your Father-in-Law Called: Safeguarding Your Relationship 157

22 Let's Go Yankees: Combating Pornography 161

23 Dog Puke and Celebrities: Dismantling Emotional Land Mines 169

24 Wake up Call: The Realities of Alcohol Abuse 173

25 I'll Just Buy This One Thing: Combating Destructive Behaviors 176

Part 5 Communication

26 C = D: Seeing Ourselves as We Really Are 185

27 Chicks' TDY: The Essence of Military Life 190

28 How Ya Doin'? The Importance of Listening 196

29 Sex and a Bag of Chips: Fulfilling Our Spouse's Love Language 201

30 I Know a Pilot Who: Encouraging Building Integrity 207

31 It's Not All about You: Why We Serve 212

Resources 217

Editorial Reviews

Called to Serve speaks from experience and offers hope like no other book geared toward military families. Picking it up might be the first step to healing. A must read.

Karen Kingsbury

The Monettis have very beautifully and thoughtfully woven together vignettes and lessons from their lives to help other families navigating the always challenging paths of military life. The spiritual underpinnings of their book are constant, strong, and uplifting throughout.”

The Honorable Allen Clark

Tony and Penny Monetti have provided military families with a great resource in Called to Serve. As a former military chaplain, I know the strain military families are under with constant deployments and long separations. This results in affairs, abuse, distrust, alienation, and divorce. (The divorce rate in the military is four times that of the civilian world.) This is not just a devotional book, it’s a book on lessons learned from a couple who have been in the military for over twenty years. I would hope that every couple in the military would get a copy of this book and study it together.

Chaplain (Major) Den Slattery

Called to Serve is a must read for anyone involved with military life and families. The Monettis discuss the full range of topics and issues that confront today’s active duty, guard, and reserve families, from routine inconveniences to life-impacting tragedies to intimate relationships. Regardless of whether the service member is a veteran of numerous deployments or fresh out of basic training, an officer or enlisted, the Monettis’ book is the go-to reference for successfully journeying through a life of defending America. I heartily encourage the reading of Called to Serve!

Brigadier General Jonathan George

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