Did you know you can do your tithing and love offering right from your computer? Visit www.chosengenerationradio.com to support Chosen Generation and make a tax-deductible donation. Now, back to Chosen Generation with Pastor Greg. And welcome back to Chosen Generation Radio where no topic is off limits, everything filtered through biblical glasses.
Well, many of you may have seen the film American Sniper and there's a scene in that film about where they are on a roof and there's sheets that are hanging and you just have this sense that something not right is about to happen, they're dealing with that sniper and he's got the drop on him and he gets a couple of shots off and one of the ricochets of those shots appears to injure the eyes of one of Kyle's very dear friends and the scene of course leaves us and we discover that Ryan Job is blinded by that shot. But there's so much more to the story. A Warrior's Faith is the book that tells that story and my next guest who when we pick up, it's like we never stop and I was honored to have been introduced to him a number of years back, not only him but an attorney that was representing the Job family and we shared the story of that case here on Generation Radio broke the story if you will and it's just my pleasure to welcome and he is now, which is really cool, he is now the director of Grand Canyon University's new innovation center where he is using all of these incredible gifts, talents and skills that he has and I'm telling you the list is beyond, we could take the next half hour talking about it, of all the incredible things that he has done and how he is pouring back into the lives of students, into the lives of a community and creating marvelous opportunities with a faith-based Christian foundation. I welcome Robert Vera to the program. Robert, welcome. Pastor Greg, it is so great to be back with you so thank you again for having me on this beautiful Veterans Day so thank you again, really great to be on the show, I always look forward to talking with you so thank you.
Well, it's my sincere pleasure, my sincere pleasure to have you. Let's start out and I think it would be good to kind of give a little bit of a background of how you ended up getting connected to Ryan because you connected to Ryan after the accident that blinded him but while he was just absolutely going after life. Yeah. So talk about that, it's very cool.
Yeah, I mean it's how God works, right? And I write in the book that there's no coincidences in life, right, or you know God speaks in coincidences but I had not been in the military, I moved to Arizona in 2000, came here, set up shop, really loved it here and then in 2008 one of my friends, I had not seen him in years, probably 20 years since college called me so just got out of the Navy and needed to come see me. So he came to see me in Arizona, he lived in Massachusetts at the time, came and flew to Arizona, picked him up the next day, came to see me and I brought him to work with me and I introduced him, hey he's a Navy veteran, he's a war hero and a woman at the workplace I was working in and she said does your friend know another Navy SEAL named Ryan Jobe? And I thought I was so curious because she actually phrased it as does he know another person in the Navy? There's 320,000 people in the Navy and she said Ryan Jobe, so I kind of blew it off because I was like yeah, I'll ask him and there was an email that she sent to me so hours later I asked him, hey Steven had you ever met you know, happened to meet a guy named Ryan Jobe and he jumped out of the couch and he's sitting on my couch and jumped up and said, are you kidding me? I have not seen Ryan since but in 2002, we separated, he's at SEAL Team 3 I think and I went over to SWCC and I'm not seeing him, where is he? And I said well apparently you know two people in Arizona, me and Ryan Jobe, he lived here five minutes away so next day we met Ryan for some overpriced coffee in Scottsdale, Arizona and he just shared with us an incredible story and you gave a prelude to it but he was on a rooftop, he was with SEAL Team 3, Charlie Company, on a rooftop those of you who have seen the movie American Sniper, you may remember the main character Chris Kyle, he's a great friend and a great friend of Ryan's they're on a rooftop in south central Amadi, Iraq it was about 8 o'clock in the morning, Ryan was facing east into the sun and Chris was facing west covering the SEAL Team below working house to house to clear really a very very dangerous place, perhaps the most dangerous place on the planet at the time, what a shot we know and the movie version you know it's obviously Hollywood but the movie version has it a little bit not accurate but close to it, a shot rang out, hit the upper receiver of Ryan's weapon and fragmented into his face it was, I asked Chris directly about that time, that day, what happened and he said yeah you know I called down to the team, everyone called back okay, I called over Ryan several times and Ryan was unresponsive and he like at that point I knew and he also said to me, I also knew that going across the roof was probably a death sentence for me but I had to go check so he turned Ryan over and Ryan the right side of Ryan's face was pretty much gone, it was opened up pretty wide, orbital floor was smashed, cheekbone was smashed and gone and he was bleeding out profusely Chris made an urgent call down to the team, medics came up, Johnny Kim was a medic on it, said to become a good friend, talk a little bit about him later maybe and Leif Babin who was the co-author of Extreme Ownership your listeners may recall that book they came up and worked on Ryan and literally tried to bring him back to life, they thought he was dead and Johnny found a pulse, Leif held his hand, they talked to him Mark Lee, one of the other CO team members provided cover and they worked their line until Ryan literally regained consciousness, sat up, he was trying to sit up and Johnny had to say, Johnny was a medic, had to say to Leif Sir, let go of his hand, we got to get out of here and Ryan got up the first instinct, he told me the first instinct was he got to find his gun, so he was scrambling around for the bleeding out, scrambling around looking for his gun and Chris was like, I got it Chris tried to carry Ryan off and Ryan actually said, put me down and so Ryan after being, you know it was a pretty egregious wound, that's the problem with it Ryan evacuated himself off the roof in Ramadi, they got out of track and moved down to Charlie Medical, from there floated to Germany and then back to the United States for what was a series of surgeries that continued for years after he was wounded and he was wounded on August 2nd 2006 so I caught up to him in 2008, living in Scottsdale and he tells us the story, we're sitting there having coffee and he's just telling us the story of what happened and it was just incredible and then at the end he said, hey I know you own this company who work with health and wellness I'd love to, if you want to train with me, I'm climbing Mount Rainier and you know I didn't know him that well, it was the first time I met him and I thought to myself, well he must know he's blind and so I said, you know what Ryan, I'd love to do that and that started a friendship that lasted until the day he died and it was really a God thing, he put us together and I just, I so valued that time in my life and I am Ryan, his brother had a son named Daniel Ryan Job, I'm Daniel Ryan Job Scott but yeah I don't want to ruin it for people who want to read A Warrior in Space, by the way it was a best selling book, I still continue to write, by the way I just launched another book with another veteran, June of last year, that became a best seller and it's on, it's the editor's tick for Amazon, in fact we did climb Mount Rainier, Ryan and I climbed Mount Rainier we continue to bring service members some Navy Seals, one of the guys that I brought in 2010 after Ryan passed, one of the guys I brought on a trip to Mount Rainier to honor Ryan, I just wrote his story and it's called Perfectly Wounded, so the legacy goes on, but yeah I mean Ryan was just an amazing Christian brother, you know never really touted his faith, he just lived it and just was so positive about life and what he wanted to do in September of 2009 he went in for some more surgery to repair the wounds he received in war and at that point in the hospital they there was an overdose and tragically Ryan the King came and took Ryan home and what I think was really difficult for me personally is that, you know, I knew something was wrong and they weren't forthcoming, the hospital wasn't forthcoming and that was really challenging for me to think that they could do this, you know this moral injury and then nobody knew but me walking into the hospital and I knew walking into the hospital, we arrived there, I went and picked up his wife and his mom was in town and I went to pick them up at their house, I drove them to the hospital, I get to the hospital with them and I see the staff waiting outside and I knew what I had to do at that point, I took both their hands and I said we need to go do this and his wife didn't know, she was like do what, do what and I knew at that point that a mother just lost her child and Ryan's wife was pregnant Alright, we'll be back right after this, we've got to take a quick break Robert Vera, the story of Ryan John, right after this brief break Now is a critical time to be vigilant in the defense of our freedom There's no better way to do so than by joining the Association of Mature American Citizens AMAC, AMAC is one of the fastest growing conservative organizations in America, well over 2 million people have joined and now carry the AMAC membership card, AMAC was built by regular folks to feel the same way you do, you're not alone, AMAC believes in and stands up for the values that made America so great, we're fighting the good fight against reckless government spending and the ever expanding scope of federal government We believe in the sanctity of our constitution, so if you're 50 or over and hold to traditional American values, you no longer have to feel alone, call the Association for Mature American Citizens, AMAC and get great discounts and support your values Call today, 855-696-7930 855-696-7930 Use the code PastorGreg, get your first year absolutely free Do you find yourself turning on the news and feeling hopeless, open borders, spending gone crazy, the prospect of more mandates, lockdowns, inflation and the list goes on, there's something you can do, buy from companies that believe what you and I believe, we need to stick together now more than ever and there's been one company willing to stand with you since 2012, Patriot Mobile, Patriot Mobile is America's only Christian conservative wireless provider, they offer nationwide coverage using the same towers as all the major carriers, Patriot Mobile has plans to fit any budget and discounts for veteran and first responder heroes and multi-line accounts, they are 100% US based, providing exceptional customer service Most importantly, Patriot Mobile shares our values and supports organizations fighting for religious freedom, constitutional rights, sanctity of life, first responders and veterans, use the code Chosen for free activation, call 972-Patriot, 972-Patriot, call today use the code Chosen, PatriotMobile.com forward slash chosen Thank you for tuning into Chosen Generation, Chosen Generation is about equipping, encouraging and challenging this generation to engage culture and to fulfill God's plan and purpose for our city, county, state and nation to be the Christian influence and light that we have been called to be Pastor Greg is committed to seeing God's life changing power work in you, if you need prayer today or have a question you can reach us at 830-446-3624 830-446-3624 If your church or group would like to have Pastor Greg come and share his passion to raise up a Chosen Generation, he is available to bring that same life changing message and anointing to your event Again, that number is 830-446-3624 830-446-3624 And keep on listening because you are God's Chosen Generation Are you getting up in the morning feeling like you and your bed had a bad night still tired? Stop!
It doesn't have to be that way That's why Mike Lindell started MyPillow and after his success helping people sleep better with the pillow, Mike decided to go all in He found Giza Cotton for the best sheets and created the ultimate mattress stopper and since stores won't carry his product, he's passing that savings on to you. Use the code PastorGreg for incredible discounts and help feed starving children. Call today. 800-662-9236 Nowhere else are you going to be able to sleep well and know that you have fed starving kids. Use the code PastorGreg call MyPillow today 800-662-9236 For the best night's sleep in the whole wide world visit MyPillow.com You can support Chosen Generation and make a tax deductible donation by visiting www.ChosenGenerationRadio.com And now back to Chosen Generation with Pastor Greg And welcome back to Chosen Generation Radio, I'm your host Pastor Greg, thanks so much for being here. My guest Robert Vera, he's the director of GCU Innovation Center, that's GCU.edu by the way GCU.edu and he's also the author of A Warrior's Faith, A Warrior's Faith which is a Ryan Job story and we're talking, he was cheering as we went into the break about getting to the facilities in Arizona with Ryan's wife who at the time was pregnant excuse me, with his mom and knowing based on the reaction of the staff that something bad had happened and they were not going to be there to see Ryan alive again. And I'm, my goodness, hang on one second, hang on one second brother, there we go.
Okay, go ahead. Yeah, that's right Pastor Greg, I took their hands, we walked in and I knew at that point that the Lord had come and take Ryan Job home and you know at that point I, you know it was this juxtaposition of being confused and frustrated and angry and then really having to be methodical about, okay I need to get to the bottom of this because something doesn't feel right. I just pray at that moment, dear Lord, please tell me what to do because I don't know what to do. Right. And you know he just spoke into me and said, you know, call your lawyer.
I'm not probably the first time God ever told anybody to call their lawyer but the, but I did and gave me great advice and anyway if it wasn't for the lawsuit we would have never found out that Ryan was overdosed. Yeah. But anyway for those of you listeners who want to read the book you know it's a major story of friendship and sacrifice it's one that I think will encourage you about a guy who lives in the States all in every day and refused to give up and you know since then it's been my privilege and honor to mentor veterans and I appreciate your service Pastor Greg and you know people ask me all the time, you know, why do you do it? And you know often it's, you know, what's the VA doing? There's a lot of frustration there but all of us, right, no one, no veteran that I know, service member that I know, has ever raised their right hand as foreign oath to protect or defend the VA.
They did it for us and so what I do I don't think is people say well thank you, I literally don't think I do really anything. I am a conduit to resources, I'm a conduit to ideas so when veterans come back you know they've been estranged from this world, from their communities so the least I could do is to be a conduit to resources, you know, and to information and to provide them with a network, a ready-made network to jump right in and get right back into where they left off and that to me I think is important but you know it's really the least that I could do for those that have served me and my family. Well and there are so many issues that veterans are facing today and there needs to be greater advocacy and the mistreatment of veterans actually started right after World War I and it's not a surprise because we had globalists back then we had individuals that were trying to dismantle this country right after the war and it has been there's been some continuation of that over time. I think now it's even worse I was mentioning the movie A Few Good Men which really at it's root is somewhat of a disparagement of the United States Marine Corps which just celebrated it's 246th year and I had yesterday I had Chris Fenton on and Chris Fenton spent 20 years in Hollywood as a bridge between the United States and China and he's written a new book called Feeding the Dragon where he exposes the CCP's propaganda that they have used in Hollywood for years for years to denigrate to denigrate our country. They're not our friends. Well and one of the areas that they have done is movies that denigrate our military. One of the hit movies in China is one that shows them in Korea and what they did in Korea to American servicemen.
That's the number one movie in China right now. The other thing I think is really important in the veteran community I'm probably not telling anybody anything new we have a problem with suicide in the veteran community and after years and years and years and frankly it's been really difficult for me to know folks and have to go to those funerals it occurred to me suicide is a condition of hopelessness and I started thinking about this I have journals about it, what is the solution because if we continue to provide pharmaceuticals and cognitive processes and therapy it does not seem like that's working so what is it that cures hopelessness? So if you think it's a condition of hopelessness that's what you believe in then you have to ask the next logic question so what then cures hopelessness and it occurred to me that the only thing that cures hopelessness in our life is the right relationship in our life.
For me a vertical one with my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and very few horizontal ones. So for those of you listening, you're the right relationship, you're the Christian brother or sister that one of our veterans may need you're the example, you're the conduit, so you don't have to have a non-profit, you just have to be you you just have to give faith and hope through sharing your love of Jesus Christ, being the hands and feet of Jesus Christ. And that's what will solve that suicide crisis.
There's no pharmaceutical company out there that's going to do it. No, absolutely not. Absolutely not. And I think that it is very important to understand that I firmly believe that we have to get back to those faith principles and understanding the intrinsic value and I understand that what soldiers experience in war, many have a hard time connecting how and where God is in the midst of those kinds of experiences. And I think that part of it is his understanding that there is an evil. I started the program out talking about how the Marines' very first mission was to fight back against Islamic terror out of Tripoli that was taking our trade ships and our merchants as slaves, killing many and enslaving the rest and stealing our goods as an act of war.
Yes, the Barbary war. But I think your listeners are attuned to it. I think what many people don't want you to believe is that there is not good and evil in this world. But there is good and evil.
Stolzenich says it runs through every man's heart. The idea that when you fight for Christians, ours is to be different. Our mission is to be different. We are to be the hands and feet of Christ. We're to love like Christ. And that is what will defeat evil. And I do agree that it's very difficult for returning veterans to, look if you're not profoundly altered or affected by the experience of war, well there may be something really wrong with you.
You know what I mean? So that in and of itself is proof that you're normal. That these things, they've affected me. So how do you reconcile those experiences with you? The depravity of war, how do you reconcile that in the context of a Christian worldview? At the end of the day when I stand before my God, I do not want him to ask me what did you do with the world that I sent my son to die for and redeem? How did you fight the good fight to share the good news and keep evil in check?
How did you shine your light and be a beacon of truth in the darkness? Did you shrink back in fear when they demanded you change my message? Did you call evil good and good evil? Did you forsake my love for that of another, lying with the adulterer and setting up a new idol in your life? Have you defiled yourself through compromise and tolerance of that which I call an abomination? Have you innocent blood on your hands for the children murdered on your watch and the young ones perverted in their way by evil men, seeking their own comfort and reviling me?
No. At the end of the day, I want him to simply say the evidence is in. Well done, thou good and faithful servant. I love my God and I love his creation. And I will go to my grave telling the world that evil is evil and only God is good and Jesus came to save the world. That no matter the evil in the world I will never give up and in spite of the hate I will love in truth. God bless you all and may love remove the veil so you all might enter into his room. They say clothes make the man, that appearance really counts. Well if that's true, what are your friends and co-workers learning about you from your spiritual wardrobe, your attitudes, your actions, the things you say? Take an honest look at yourself by looking at the Bible's own portrait of a new life. Join John MacArthur this week on The Race to You.
Whisper: medium.en / 2023-07-23 15:58:05 / 2023-07-23 16:07:53 / 10
