Mighty People Garden

S1:E33 The Revivalists - Conversation about Moral Injury and the Southern Baptist Convention

This week, Darrell and Eva pivot from our regularly scheduled discussion on Genesis, Chapter 46 (which we will resume next week) to address recent developments within the Southern Baptist Convention regarding its decision to divert from allowing female leaders and pastors. Both of us have followed the conversation across social media, and what we’re witnessing is a wave of moral injury fallout — not only from the SBC’s announcement but also from the Department of Defense’s reported move to remove women from combat and senior leadership roles. For many women, this news feels deeply troubling. We have watched decades of progress in the military, ministry, and across our culture, and now we find ourselves questioning what the future holds. The moral injury here is profound — it challenges our sense of equality and the belief that we have moved forward as women standing shoulder‑to‑shoulder with men. We grew up watching films like G.I. Jane and series like MASH*, stories that reflected women stepping into hard, demanding roles and embracing the full weight of those responsibilities. Today, that progress feels uncertain, and the emotional and spiritual dissonance is difficult to reconcile. Now what? How does that make us feel?  How do you feel about these changes? Are there moral injury aspects that you are feeling right now? If so, please share.  #moralinjury #moralhealing #moralrecovery #veterans #veteranhealing #veteranpodcast

S2:E19 From Pain to Purpose - Paula Kemp

This week Paula Kemp author and founder of Unjustly Served joins us to discuss military sexual trauma (MST). MST is on the forefront of military and veteran news because there are many aspects of MST which are still being discussed in the veteran claim arena, veteran and military culture and beyond. Paula, a MST victim herself, is turning her physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual pain into a mission that is focused on putting a policy and public administration focus on MST accountability, structured reform, and survivor-centered support. Through the Behavioral Accountability, Reporting & Exposure System -B.A.R.E.S. Act initiative and our A.C.C.E.S.S. program that will track the offenders of MST activities similar to sexual predators in the civilian world.  In light of celebrating the historical signing of women veterans recognition on June 12, we also discussed some aspects of how this parallels with what is happening in the military and the reduction of women serving in combat roles. However, this also paralleled into recent changes in the news with the Southern Baptist Convention and removing women out of pastoral and leadership roles.  This was quite the conversation, you won't want to miss this one.  #veterans #veteranmoralinjury #veteranmoralhealing #veteranmoralrecovery #veteranMST

S1:E32 The Revivalists - Genesis Chapter 45

This week Eva starts out solo until Darrell joins later in the show. In full transparency, I was not feeling well due to my chronic migraine headaches. Somehow, in prayer and pushing through, the headache gradually fades. This is military injury in action - that the Revivalists mission must continue no matter how we feel.  Joseph and his story with his family is no different. As much as I wanted to cry in pain, Joseph finally is able to break through his own moral injury and announce who he is to his brothers - and cry. He offers words of comfort instead of belittling them for what they did to him. He shares that it was for God's good that these things happened. He cried so loud the Egyptians could hear and ran to Pharaoh's staff and told them. Knowing the dire situation of the ensuing famine, Joseph prepares to relocate his family to Egypt where they could live in comfort rather than destitute and hungry. Pharaoh ups the ante and sends carts as well as nourishment to get them to come to Egypt. Jacob at first is in disbelief but then relents and acknowledges the opportunity.  In the moral injury healing and recovery realm of things, how many of us want to remain that ever vigilant victim rather than seeing the good that comes from our pain. If we instead use our empathetic hearts and find forgiveness and then that is when we start find healing in what could otherwise be a lifelong injury. There are harms even in our own systems where we often find ourselves educating others that women served in the military. Eva shared her recent experience where she had to educate a medical provider about women in the military. We also covered a renewed issue  in the news today about the Southern Baptist Convention that led to a discussion about women serving in pastoral or leadership roles.

S2:E18 From Pain to Purpose - Scott Roessler

Scott Roessler joins us this week to share his journey with operator syndrome and blast toxicity (think shaking baby syndrome) and how becoming a participant in Stanford's ibogaine study became a lifeline with a new life. Prior to the study, Scott was stuck on some self-destructive behavior that was also affecting his marriage and his relationship with his children. A buddy of his shared the opportunity about the study and the impact it had on him that finally allowed him to cry - to feel again. The emotions that he had held inside were allowed to release through a thoroughly medically supported ibogaine journey in Mexico. This has truly become Scott's pain to purpose that is also intended to help others. He also briefly spoke about his upcoming book The Operator's Guide to the Universe UG2O. Follow him on social media and watch for the release around July 4th!   #paintopurpose.  #veteranpodcast #veterans #veteransupport

S1:E32 The Revivalists - Joseph Discussion

This week we skipped our normal Chapter reading and discussed the impact of moral injury on Joseph thus far. Remember, DSM 5 focuses on moral injury and the application for veterans is that moral injury can come from many traumatic events in our lives. In thinking about the readings in the context of Joseph as a Sergeant Major and how he rose to that position next to Pharaoh despite his traumatic events of being sold by his brothers into slavery and even serving time in prison.  But Joseph chose to turn the moral injury situation around by giving out orders to his staff who then provided the bags of grain with gifts of small bags of silver to his brothers. Joseph did not do these acts out of vengeance, he did it out of love and wanting to know his family. Had they changed? Had the trauma that happened to him hardened his heart? Joseph leaned into his love of God and was living in the world, not of the world. So he chose to give grace to his brothers to alleviate the moral injury and find his own healing and recovery.  Join us next week for Chapter 45.