Editor note: Law Enforcement Today proudly launched a brand new channel on Pray.com - the largest faith-based app in the world. On that channel is this new series - Sheepdog and Shepherd - where we talk all about God's hand in law enforcement. It's free to watch... but subscribers get all sorts of bonus content - and every single penny donated to our channel gets fully reinvested into telling stories like this one. Thanks for checking it out and helping us to continue to show how God is on the move. You can watch the latest episode here.
--
In the latest episode of “Sheepdog and Shepherd,” the hosts sit down with former Army chaplain and filmmaker Justin Roberts to explore trauma, brotherhood, and the deep spiritual calling behind those who stand between good and evil. The conversation uncovers the hard truth behind unprocessed trauma, the real definition of strength, and the ministry carried out by warriors who protect the innocent.
Roberts opens the episode with a blunt assessment of why so many in uniform struggle silently.
“What's preventing us from processing the trauma is our perception of strength,” he said. “Historically, in the past, warriors would often talk about what they're struggling with.” But over time, he explained, “we had a pivot on our perception of strength, which was, you better not have an issue, because if you do, you're weak.”
That distortion of manhood, he said, leaves many trying to “run away from the problem. You're trying to cover it up. That's weakness.”
Roberts’ own journey began with trauma. “My dad was a drug dealer,” he said. As a teenager, he found faith when a stranger left him a Bible and marked verses to guide him toward Christ. “I never met that woman, but she saved my soul.”
Years later, he entered the Army as a chaplain, joining a legendary infantry battalion. His second day brought a suicide.
“Every single week we had a suicidal ideation,” he said, describing a period defined by loss and emotional challenges. Traditional suicide trainings weren’t working.
Roberts sought answers directly from soldiers. Together they built Warrior’s Keeper, a simple but revolutionary idea built on connection.
“If we're willing to run and get our butts shot off trying to save each other on the battlefield, what are we willing to do here to help each other face these life issues?” he asked.
The results were significant. After a deployment using the program, they returned home with “a 75 percent reduction in suicidal ideations, zero suicides, and a reduction in all the other problems and issues.” The reason was simple. “We were just doing brotherhood in a more intentional way.”
The hosts agreed that too much modern suicide prevention focuses on the wrong thing. “The solution to suicide is not anti-suicide. The solution to suicide is purpose,” Roberts said. “Where your attention goes, your energy flows.”
Much of that purpose, Roberts emphasized, is anchored in spiritual identity and calling. Speaking about those who have had to take lives in combat, he offered a sobering but hopeful reframing: “Defending the innocent is righteous.” Soldiers and officers, he said, carry out what he calls “the ministry of the night,” the calling to “stand in the gap doing something that is righteous.”
The conversation repeatedly returned to the absolute necessity of community. When Roberts left the military, he said he fell into “a massive depression.” A daily call with a friend was the difference. Today he urges anyone listening, “If there's someone that came to mind while he was talking for you, that's because you're supposed to call them right now.”
Faith served as the ultimate lifeline. “There’s only one place they're going to find that rest, and that's in Christ.”
The episode closes with a reminder that evil is real, and resisting it is a calling. “Evil is something that has, it will always be there,” the guest said in a late-episode reflection. “Sometimes it has to be ended forever.”
He urges anyone struggling to reconnect to their purpose. “We have to have those connections. It's not optional,” he said. “If God's putting something on your heart, don't ignore that call.”
By the way, this episode was brought to you by our friends at Clear Armor - a company that holds a patent and is a proven armor security solution that transforms your glass into armor.
In light of recent attacks, such as the recent horrible shooting at a Catholic church, it's time for every business, school, and house of worship to investigate using a product like this. Check them out today.
Watch the full episode now at https://www.pray.com/series/sheepdog-and-shepherd-season-one.
Comments