Blog
When Service Becomes Identity: The Strength and Risk of Being Needed
By John Sanders, LUKE CEO I recently visited the Retreat at Church Creek with Chaplain Solhjem and Chaplain Kitchens. Chaplain Tom Solhjem, Major General, U.S. Army (Ret.), served as the 25th Chief of Chaplains of the U.S. Army, and Chaplain Randy Kitchens, Major General, U.S. Air Force (Ret.), served as the 20th Chief of Chaplains…
Read MorePrepared Resilience Begins Before Adversity
By John Sanders, LUKE CEO Most preparation happens on an ordinary day, when nothing appears to be wrong. We replace the batteries in a flashlight, place copies of important documents somewhere safe, and decide how our family will reconnect if phones fail. National Preparedness Month, observed each September, asks us to take those steps before…
Read MoreWhen Caring Becomes Personal
By John Sanders, LUKE CEO Most workplace wellness programs encourage exercise, better nutrition, preventive care, and healthier habits, and all those things matter. We also know people who appear physically healthy and continue performing at a high level while carrying challenges few people can see. They may be grieving a loved one, struggling financially or with an…
Read MoreThe Army Chaplain Corps at 251: A Legacy of Presence, A Future of Hope
By Chaplain Thomas L. Solhjem, Major General USA (Ret.), Former Chief of Chaplains, U.S. Army Every year on July 29, I pause to reflect on one of the Army’s oldest and most remarkable institutions. On that day in 1775, the Continental Congress authorized chaplains to serve alongside the fledgling Continental Army. That decision came more…
Read MoreMoral Injury: What I Have Learned About the Wounds We Do Not Name
By Jonathan Sherin, MD, PhD Dr. Sherin is a psychiatrist and neuroscientist who served for over a decade at the Department of Veterans Affairs, most recently as Chief of Mental Health for the Miami VA Healthcare System. He was also Director of the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, the largest public mental health…
Read MoreThe Path to Human Flourishing
By Dr. Tim Clinton, American Association of Christian Counselors One of the most striking trends in mental healthcare today is the growing sense of pace, pain, and pressure that so many people are facing. In the middle of it all, a few honest questions keep rising to the surface for those we work with: Why…
Read MoreChoosing to Flourish
By John Sanders, LUKE CEO Pastor Greg Surratt has spent decades helping leaders and communities grow in faith, resilience, and purpose. His influence now extends into an area closely aligned with the work we are doing at LUKE. Pastor Greg serves on the HERO Council, an AACC initiative to bring together multi-disciplinary leaders committed to…
Read MoreMission, Meaning, and the Moral Imperative of Flourishing
By Chaplain Tom Solhjem, Major General USA Ret./Chair, LUKE Advisory Board If anyone should feel a deep sense of mission, it’s those in the military. The word itself —mission — is ingrained in military culture, whose sole purpose is to protect and defend an entire nation. Yet, beneath the surface of duty, discipline, and sacrifice;…
Read MoreThe Enduring Role of Chaplains in Readiness, Resilience, and Human Flourishing
By John Sanders, LUKE CEO When George Washington established the Chaplain Corps on July 29, 1775, he did so with clear intent. He understood that discipline, cohesion, and endurance are sustained not only by training and command, but by the inner strength of warfighters asked to carry extraordinary burdens together. From the very beginning of…
Read MorePeace, Joy, and Love: How the Magic of the Holidays Helps Us Flourish
By John Sanders, LUKE CEO At this time of year, three simple words surface again and again — peace, joy, and love. They appear on cards, in emails, in quiet conversations, and in moments we do not always know how to put into words. They may feel familiar, even expected, yet they are far from…
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