05/25/2026
After our Veterans Day program this year, I was sitting in my office when one of our members stopped in. I didn't know him well. He stood there and cried. He told me about friends he'd lost many years ago and about some of the vivid memories that still live inside of him. I'll never forget what he shared with me, and his pain as he said it. It hit me in a visceral, gut level way.
I'm thinking about him today.
So many people are living right around us, having been through trauma most of us can't begin to imagine. My grandpas never talked about what they'd seen in war. That silence- the stories that they couldn't tell- spoke volumes.
To every veteran, every Gold Star family, everyone carrying grief and trauma that others can't see- this is for you:
God is not distant from your pain. He physically lived it. He took on flesh, walked this broken world, and wept at the grave of a friend. He knows what it is to watch someone you love die. He knows the weight of trauma, of loss, of a world that is irreparably broken.
That same God makes you a promise. He sits with you in your grief and pain. He sees all of it. And faithfully, steadfastly, quietly gives you hope. He promises healing and a true home where there is no more war, no more grief, no more wounds that won't heal.
His mercies are new today and every day.
If you're carrying something heavy, Salem has a place for you. Our Heroes Coffee Club is a small group — veterans, friends, and family — who meet together, share stories, and just exist in a safe space. Join us for the next meeting June 2 around 9:30 for coffee and donuts. No agenda. No pressure. Just community.
