Welcome!

I am a veteran Marine, serving for 10 years on active duty from 2003-2013, including time in Iraq, Afghanistan, and a few other countries. For virtually my entire time in the Corps, I was married to my bride, Kelli (Houser) O’Day, who has remained by my side for the rest of life’s journeys since leaving active service.

God saved me just a few months before I joined the Marines and got married. I found it immensely challenging to live for Christ and build a healthy marriage in the Corps. My goal in this blog is to provide biblical wisdom and practical resources for Christian Families serving in the Military. I also host a podcast, which shares the same goal as this blog, with my wife and our good friends: Military Wellness Collective.

These efforts are really an overflow of my primary roles serving as a pastor at Pillar Church of Jacksonville, NC (across the street from Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune), and as the Executive Director of The Praetorian Project– a family of multiplying churches in military communities worldwide.

Practical Articles for Your Military Journey

Read the Bible for Yourself

During my time in the military, it took me a while to realize the value of reading the Bible for myself. Having grown up in church with parents who read their Bibles, I knew the importance in my head, but it took far too long for it to become a regular practice. Once I found the discipline of regular Bible reading, the Lord sustained me and grew me in powerful ways. I pray that this short journey of articles will help you start this practice today!

PCS Well: Moving in a God-Honoring, You-Flourishing Way

During my ten years of active-duty service, I moved six times. Moving provides a host of challenges for the military family. However, if you will intentionally engage with the Lord and His purposes throughout your move, your upcoming PCS offers an amazing opportunity to accelerate your spiritual maturity. This series of articles aims to help you do that!

Deploying Well

During my time in the military, my wife and I experienced three military deployments and multiple other times of prolonged separation. Since leaving the military to pastor, we have walked with more than 50 married couples as they walk through their deployment seasons. This writing journey is my attempt to capture the lessons learned from these experiences to help you glean from all of these experiences. I am convinced that God intends for you thrive in this season- not merely survive.

Other Recent Articles

  • God’s Sovereignty: Hope for Military Deployments

    “Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.” (Psalm 33:20 [ESV]) As you prepare for your upcoming military deployment or that of your spouse, you need to put in the forefront of your mind who God is. There is something about times like the ones that lie ahead that will…

  • Pre-Deployment Planning Guide

    “The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight. Prize her highly, and she will exalt you; she will honor you if you embrace her.” (Proverbs 4:7-8 [ESV]) It’s time to get to work. Prepare well for this deployment working hard to get wisdom and insight, and I trust the…

  • Build a Spiritual Deployment Support Team

    “Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.” (Proverbs 11:14 [ESV]) Is the military sending you out by yourself? Surely not. Is the Lord expecting you to endure this upcoming spiritual trial by yourself? Absolutely not. Now is the time to build a Spiritual Deployment Support…

  • It’s not how you start…

    “Better is the end of a thing than its beginning…” (Ecclesiastes 7:8 [ESV]) Have you ever been cornered by someone who is uber excited about their new thing they are starting and they just have to tell you all about it? They are eager, positive, energetic, and sometimes pushy to get you to join in…

  • You were made for worship, work, and community

    Imagine if the only Bible you had was the first two chapters. What would you determine the purpose of your life is based on just these two introductory chapters? “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” (Gen. 1:1 [ESV]) The next 29 verses of Chapter 1 describe with beauty and majesty the One…

  • The things you need for Christian Adulting

    When we’re growing up, we are continually frustrated that we don’t have more freedom. “Why can’t I do what I want?!” But then, when we transition into adulthood, the freedom is almost overwhelming. Frankly, it can be paralyzing. Far too often, we prolong this transition for far too long. My encouragement is this: Move towards…