About Us
About Us
Advancing Warriors exists to help to mobilize the veteran and first responder community to harness their service and life experiences, and continue their service to others, their families, their communities, and to Jesus Christ.
Our Founding Story
“… The brain injury was only the beginning of a year that included rape and four more concussions. Although I had been a master at pushing down my failures, emotions, mistakes, and flaws, I had faced more than I could handle.”
“… The invaluable lessons I learned through this journey have enabled me to understand the power of trauma and the devastation that comes with it. However, the greatest lesson I learned was knowing that God’s love is more powerful than any darkness we could ever face …”
“… This is why I founded Advancing Warriors. To provide community and support to those men and women who have stared evil in the face and are living with the repercussions in isolation. We are not meant to be alone, and I needed a “tribe” who understood my pain and hurt, and others do too.”
Our Faith
While we bring expertise in mental health from the unique perspective of veterans and first responders, our foundation is upon biblical truth. This doesn’t mean we can’t look to science, medicine, or even our experiences to understand the world.
In fact, many of the effective mental health treatment modalities are actually quite consistent with the truth found in the Bible. For us, this means that we view the Bible as our “single source of ultimate truth,” but we also encourage other resources as long as they are consistent with the Bible. Where opinions, commonly held beliefs, and even science disagree with what the Bible says is true, we side with the Bible. Major topics of our faith include:
We believe that Scripture is inspired and completely without error. It shows us that God has and will always exist as One God, manifested in three Persons, that eternal salvation is by faith alone in Jesus Christ, and that any actions on our part are for sanctification.
We help you in your pursuit of Christ.
The Bible teaches us much about discipleship. But two hallmark requirements of a disciple are service to others and facing adversity. Those who have served their communities and their country on the front lines know these requirements firsthand. Take your service to an eternal and ultimate level.
TRIBE
Overcoming Barriers to a Relationship with God
This program is designed to break through barriers and allow military, veteran, and emergency responder men and women to rise above adversity brought on by life events, relationships, trauma, combat, and on the job stressors.
It equips people to learn how to see themselves as so much more than products of their experiences and whom others in their lives have defined them to be.
Break the cycle of fear, stagnation, avoidance, and isolation. Join an authentic tribe of people who have been through the darkest night and are climbing out of the shadows and back to the mountain top.
These groups are led by Veterans, military members, and first responders who have been through their struggles and hardships and now want to help their brothers and sisters heal and experience an abundant life.
Barriers and Identity
We examine our lives and identify barriers to healing, moral injuries, and we explore who we truly are.
Mission and Purpose
We all have a mission. Ours is tied to what our identity is, and we begin to unpack our ultimate and eternal purpose.
Truly Seen and Heard
To thrive, we need to learn how to care for ourselves and for others; being truly heard and seen without judgment.
Your Abundant Life
This begins by living out our identity, and fulfilling our mission and purpose by serving God and serving others.
Frequently Asked Questions
This is the simple, beautiful, and clear truth that is not only foundational to the TRIBE program, but the Christian life in general.
Jesus was, is, and will always be fully God. He became Human and by His death, He removed the barrier between all mankind and God.
Because He removed that barrier, He offers everlasting life to whoever believes—whoever is convinced—that His promise and guarantee of everlasting life is true.
We don’t have to “clean up our lives,” “repent or turn from sin,” “submit,” or “surrender” for everlasting life. Jesus simply said, whoever believes HAS everlasting life (John 3:16, 6:47, 20:31). We know this is guaranteed because Jesus is God, and God cannot sin or lie, so we know that He will always be faithful to His promises.
That’s what we mean by “faith alone.” By faith, or belief, alone, Jesus gives us the gift of everlasting life (John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8-9).
The TRIBE program is primarily for military service members and veterans, first responders, and front-line healthcare workers. We do serve their families and communities as well, so really the programs are open to everyone. When we gather a group together, we want to make sure that there is a shared aspect across the participants to enhance comfort and relatability.
You can find purpose, meaningful connection with others, overcome barriers and adversity in your life that have prevented you from living out the full potential that God created you for. Together, we see how the Bible can be applied to our lives, and in doing so, you will create meaningful connections and bonds with your brothers and sisters. You’ll gain a greater understanding of God’s wisdom and how you can put what His word says into practice in your life.
To participate, it’s pretty simple. A big part of the success of the TRIBE program is that we don’t simply “run through a curriculum,” but are instead building a community. So, being present and engaged and willing to participate with the group. For those who want to go on to lead future groups, we have some additional requirements.
Advancing Warriors follows a “see,” “do,” then “teach” model. Those who participate in the TRIBE program have the opportunity to lead future groups, having found healing and growth through the program.
We have a separate application, onboarding, and training process for group facilitators. This is a service role that is a tremendous blessing and responsibility.
Not only are group leaders responsible for the logistics and administration of the group, but they are discipling others and are teaching God’s word. We know from Scripture that this is not something to be taken lightly (James 3:1), but if you are interested in leading, serving others, and serving God, then we would be thrilled to prepare you to do so.
Join our community
Stay in the loop, find a group, learn, grow, and find your purpose.