There is a lot happening at Mission First Alliance, and we are excited to share several new ways we are connecting, equipping, and encouraging first responders, and those who are serving them.
From new tools for Alliance members to free discipleship resources and a nationwide prayer initiative, we are grateful for the momentum and for every organization, ministry, church, and leader who is bringing Real Hope to first responders, and their families.
Explore the New Alliance Directory
One of the greatest strengths of Mission First Alliance is the people and organizations that make up this growing network.
Our new Alliance Directory makes it easier to discover and connect with others who share a heart for serving first responders. Whether you’re looking for a ministry, organization, resource, or potential partner, the directory is designed to help strengthen relationships and collaboration across the Alliance.
We have also launched a new Members Only section of the Mission First Alliance website.
Each month, our virtual gatherings give Alliance members an opportunity to connect and hear from leaders and organizations doing incredible work in the first responder community. Now, members can access the video recordings from those gatherings in one convenient place.
If you missed a gathering, or want to go back and hear from one of our featured leaders again, you can find the recordings here:
We are especially excited about several new resources that have been completed and will be made available for free.
Living Mission First – A Discipleship Study for First Responders, by Jeremy Wade and others, is a new resource designed specifically to help first responders grow as disciples of Jesus while navigating the unique realities of their profession and calling.
We also have three new resources from Sgt. Jeff Daukas, our Arizona Regional Representative:
CHASE 90 Day Devotional for First Responders
CHASE 12 Week Group Study Guide
CHASE Leaders Guide
Together, these resources provide opportunities for individual spiritual growth, small-group discipleship, and leaders who want to walk alongside first responders in their faith.
Our desire is simple: get quality, practical, Christ-centered resources into the hands of first responders and those who serve them. Making these resources available for free removes another barrier to doing exactly that.
Stay tuned for details on how to access and share them.
Mission First Alliance SWAG Is Here!
Want to represent Mission First Alliance wherever you go? There is now a new way to get Mission First Alliance SWAG!
Through Living Blue Apparel, you can purchase Mission First Alliance gear and help spread the word about this growing movement. More SWAG to be added soon too.
A New National Prayer Initiative Is Launching October 28
Perhaps one of the announcements we are most excited about is the launch of a National Prayer Initiative on National First Responder Day, October 28.
We want to see churches and communities across the country intentionally pray for the first responders who serve them every day.
The vision is simple.
On October 28, we are asking churches to rally people in their communities to gather at the flagpole of a local police, fire, EMS, or dispatch facility and pray for the first responders who serve there, and for their families.
Imagine what could happen if, all across the country, first responders looked outside their facilities and saw people from their communities gathered simply to pray for them.
Mission First Alliance will provide information and guidance for church leaders who want to participate. We also plan to share the locations being prayed over that day so we can see and celebrate the collective impact happening across the nation.
More details are coming soon, but now is a great time to begin thinking about the first responder agencies in your community and the churches and people you could invite to participate.
Save the date: October 28 — National First Responder Day.
A New National Prayer Initiative Is Launching October 28
Every one of these announcements points back to why Mission First Alliance exists: to unite and equip all who have a heart to reach our nation’s first responders and their families for Christ.
A directory helps us find one another.
Virtual gatherings help us learn from one another.
New resources help us equip first responders.
And prayer brings churches and communities alongside the men and women who serve them.
There is so much happening, and we believe there is even more ahead.
Thank you for being part of Mission First Alliance and this growing community. United Together we can have a greater Kingdom impact.
If this article stirred something in you, you’re not alone. If you need prayer, support, or someone to connect with at Mission First Alliance, we’re here to help you take the next step toward hope.Please reach out to us through our Contact Us page, or leave a comment below.
We live in a world searching for the next breakthrough; the one solution that will fix what hurts. We look for the perfect relationship, the right career, financial security, a healthier lifestyle, a medication, or a new beginning. None of those things are inherently wrong. Yet many of us eventually discover that even when we achieve them, something still feels incomplete.
My research into the Fatal 10™ identified ten major life stressors that can increase the risk for devastating outcomes. Relationship conflict, trauma, illness, substance misuse, identity loss, retirement, and other major life transitions all have one thing in common: they challenge our sense of connection and purpose.
For years, I asked, “Which of these factors is the most important?” But the better question became, “What is the foundation that helps us navigate all of them?” Well, with the help of my cohort, Dr. Jorey Krawczyn, we believe the answer is “relational purpose”.
At its deepest level, relational purpose isn’t simply about having better relationships with family, friends, or coworkers. It begins with understanding who we are because of whose we are. Before we can love others well, we must first know the One who created us.
When we’re hurting, it’s easy to search for relief in places that promise comfort but leave us emptier than before. We may chase another relationship, numb our pain with alcohol or other substances, bury ourselves in work, or search for fulfillment in success. Yet none of those things can fill the place that was designed for Christ.
Jesus offers something different. He offers peace that isn’t dependent on circumstances, hope that outlasts disappointment, and a purpose that reaches beyond any title or season of life.
The invitation of the Gospel is not about perfection. It’s about relationship.
Perhaps the answer we’ve been searching for isn’t another temporary solution.
Perhaps it’s the One who has been calling us all along.
“Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” — Matthew 6:33
Today, if your heart feels weary, know this: you are deeply loved, you are never beyond hope, and you are always invited into a relationship with Jesus Christ. Sometimes the greatest transformation doesn’t begin with finding the right answer; it begins with finding the right foundation.
If you found this information helpful, you might consider our podcast episode 13 “Finding Real Hope in the Recovery” with Matty Fiorenza where he shares why lasting freedom, joy, and hope are found only through Jesus Christ and answers the question: Can recovery truly heal the soul?
If this article stirred something in you, you’re not alone. If you need prayer, support, or someone to connect with at Mission First Alliance, we’re here to help you take the next step toward hope.Please reach out to us through our Contact Us page, or leave a comment below.
The first responder wellness movement has grown significantly over the last decade. Conferences, peer support programs, resilience training, mental health resources, and wellness initiatives are now more common than ever before. Yet despite these advancements, many organizations continue to struggle with burnout, trauma, suicide, and declining morale.
In Episode 12 of the Living Mission First Podcast, “Leadership That Changes Lives,” we welcome filmmaker, podcast host, and wellness advocate Conrad Weaver for a conversation that challenges the status quo and explores what may be missing from the current wellness movement.
This episode represents more than just another discussion about wellness, it is a full-circle moment and an opportunity to examine first responder wellness through a unique lens.
A Perspective Outside the Wellness Echo Chamber
Most voices in the first responder wellness space come from two backgrounds: experienced first responders or academic professionals with specialized training, certifications, and research credentials. Both perspectives offer tremendous value and have helped move the conversation forward.
However, Conrad Weaver suggests that the industry may have unintentionally created what he calls a “wellness echo chamber.”
Too often, the same speakers are presenting the same messages to the same audiences, while organizations continue to face many of the same challenges. Awareness has increased, but measurable cultural change remains elusive.
Conrad brings a different perspective to the conversation.
Through producing the acclaimed documentary PTSD911, hosting the First Responder Wellness Podcast, attending wellness conferences across the country, and engaging directly with first responders and agency leaders, he has observed trends and gaps that deserve serious attention.
His conclusion is both simple and profound: two critical components are frequently missing from wellness conversations—leadership and faith.
The Leadership Gap
Wellness programs can provide resources, training, and support systems, but leadership ultimately determines whether those resources become part of an organization’s culture.
When leaders model vulnerability, prioritize wellness, and create environments where people feel safe seeking help, positive change becomes possible. Conversely, when leadership remains disconnected from wellness efforts, even the best programs often struggle to gain traction.
Leadership is not simply about policy; it is about influence.
Healthy organizational cultures are built when leaders consistently demonstrate care for their people, communicate purpose, and create trust. Without leadership engagement, wellness can become another initiative rather than a transformational movement.
The conversation highlights a truth many first responders already know: culture starts at the top by servant leaders.
The Faith Gap
While wellness and peer support are frequently talked about, the role of faith remains absent from most conversations, programs, and training. Conrad shared that most conferences and training will not even bring it up.
This reality and burden grew for me personally and even led me to leave the Seattle Police Department after 13 years of service. During that time, I served as a full-time Peer Support Coordinator, Resilience Trainer, Chaplain Program Leader, and founding member of the department’s Wellness Unit.
First responders are more than physical, emotional, and psychological beings. We also have a spiritual need. Every day, we encounter tragedy, death, injustice, and human suffering. Eventually, those experiences force us to wrestle with questions of meaning, identity, and eternity.
Most wellness programs address the mental and physical symptoms but never address the soul.
While the wellness movement has made significant strides, I believe it will continue to fall short until we are willing to acknowledge this foundational piece and the life-changing hope available through faith in Jesus Christ.
A Full-Circle Moment
This episode carries special significance for me because Conrad interviewed me twice on his First Responder Wellness Podcast. One of those appearances, Episode 22 titled “Are You Losing Your Religion?”, was released on January 31, 2024, and became the podcast’s most downloaded episode of the year.
Both were great conversations about my experience, but I was even more excited to hear what Conrad has been learning.
Reasons for Hope
While the challenges facing first responders remain significant, this conversation is ultimately one of hope.
Mental health struggles continue to impact agencies across the country, and there is still much work to be done. Yet there are also encouraging signs of change. More leaders are recognizing the importance of wellness. More organizations are embracing holistic approaches to care. And more first responders are finding healing, support, and renewed purpose.
For those who have experienced trauma, burnout, or despair, the message is clear: you are not alone.
As we discussed throughout this episode, true wellness requires more than programs and policies. It requires leadership that inspires, communities that support, and a source of hope that endures even in life’s darkest moments.
We desire to see more first responders and their families find that hope in in Jesus Christ.
The wellness movement has come a long way, but perhaps its next chapter will be defined by addressing the very things that have been missing all along: leadership that changes lives and faith that sustains them through every challenge.
Listen to Episode 12 of the Living Mission First Podcast, “Leadership That Changes Lives,” to hear the full conversation and explore these important insights for yourself.
If this article stirred something in you, you’re not alone. If you need prayer, support, or someone to connect with at Mission First Alliance, we’re here to help you take the next step toward hope.Please reach out to us through our Contact Us page, or leave a comment below.
by Jeff Fields, Author of Sober from Sin: A Law Enforcement Veterans’s Journey to Unraveling Addition and Faith
What Really Matters?
What is important to you? Is it your title, salary, or pension?
This question is often answered easily if you ask someone while they’re at work. Their mind is set on self-promotion and envisioning a solid retirement. But what if you asked this question to someone when they are off duty? Would their answer change?
“Money.” “Family.” “My kids’ education.”
I think the question is harder to answer for someone who just sat down after mowing their lawn. Why is this?
It all comes down to priorities.
Often, our priorities are skewed at different points in our lives. When I was a young police officer and firefighter, I would have told you that my priorities were to save lives, make good money, and hang out with my friends. As I got older, my priorities shifted to promotions at work, a better house and car, and meeting my wife. Later in my career, my focus turned to title, money, and notoriety.
This progression may not look the same for everyone, but ultimately, as we settle into our careers, we often drift from the things that are truly important. I know this from personal experience and from speaking with other first responders.
When Work Becomes the Safe Place
This drift happens in every profession, but in my opinion, first responders may have a more grandiose perception of themselves, so often, family comes second.
We control the scene, knock down fires, create calm in chaos; we are doers. But what happens when we get home and we can’t calm the scene or extinguish the fires of personal relationships?
For me, it made me gravitate closer to my career over my family because I had control there. It was cleaner, structured, and I was getting paid.
But when I clocked out, I was still left with, well, life.
Trained for the Job, Not for Life
It has always been curious to me that when we decided to go into a career as first responders, we underwent rigorous academies, field training, and quarterly training, all so that we know how to do our job well and safely.
If you were like me, I got into my career young, and it was really my first “real job,” so I hadn’t picked up too many life skills yet. All I did was add a bunch of technical career skills on top of limited life skills.
I can’t speak to others’ experiences, but my academy experience was limited to the “work stuff,” not the “family stuff.” They warned us against getting too wrapped up in our job and to take care of our family, but this advice fell on deaf ears to a 23-year-old eager to start his career.
The topic of family life or family wellness was brief and lacked substance. This gave me the impression that I wouldn’t have issues with my personal life because it wasn’t built into the curriculum.
Boy, was I wrong.
When Everything Started Falling Apart
I spent 22 years in law enforcement, both locally and federally. I spent four of those years as a firefighter and 2.5 years working for the medical examiner’s office as an investigator. Both my firefighter role and death investigator roles were collateral to my duties in law enforcement.
I lived and breathed my career; I didn’t have time for anyone else.
But toward the end of my career, after I was married and had a child, I started to see things differently. This wasn’t because I lost the love for my job — which I did — but because my family told me they were going to leave me.
Why?
During the last quarter of my career, I became very dissatisfied with my job. Topped with unaddressed traumas, I started to drink alcohol to create some sort of, albeit fleeting, peace. This turned into an addiction, and any free time I had from work was spent either drinking, recovering from drinking, or figuring out my next drink.
Family became background noise to me.
The Wake-Up Call
But when my wife told me she was leaving me and taking my daughter with her, a realization came over me.
Now, this wasn’t the first time my wife had threatened me with this, but for some reason, this time — the 128th time, or so it felt — it scared me. I felt like my foundation was about to break apart.
You see, this whole time, the successes of my career and the comfort of my days off were contingent on having a home. When I say “home,” I mean a family who loves you and supports you.
I took this for granted, never stopping once to think about what would happen if I didn’t have this.
For so many years, I placed my career first, myself second, and my family last, never once stopping to think about how I would survive without my career.
The PATTERN SO MANY SHARE
I had seen so many colleagues get divorced, remarry, and then get divorced again. Some were paying child support to multiple ex-spouses, dealing with domestic violence, and other personal crises.
When I started to reflect on all of this, I began to see patterns.
There was almost always a common thread in these people’s lives falling apart: their job was everything to them. They would work overtime constantly, avoid family functions, and skip their kids’ events.
Reflecting back now, with sober eyes, it really is sad.
But even though it is sad, this behavior seems to be accepted in many first responder roles. However, acceptance doesn’t make it right.
What Happens After the Title Is Gone?
One of the hardest-hitting realizations for many comes when they retire. They no longer have the title, structure, or importance they once had, and now they have their family.
But often, the family is now scorned, scattered, or disinterested in a parent who wants to put them first now.
Studies have shown, and I have witnessed this numerous times, that children of an absent parent are more rebellious and are more likely to go down dark paths in their lives. All this because a parent made work their priority over them.
Your Family Is Not Replaceable
The point I want to make is this: you don’t have all the time in the world when it comes to family.
The moments where you are needed are never going to be convenient or as gratifying as you may expect, but the operative word here is “needed.” You are needed as a spouse, parent, sibling, or friend.
Your need will always be there, as long as you don’t mess it up, whereas you will only be needed in your career for a limited amount of time. Once you are gone, you will be replaced, and you will be forgotten.
But to your family, you are irreplaceable.
You will never be forgotten.
So if anyone ever asks you what is important to you, really think hard about your foundation. Think hard about who makes your house a home.
Is it faith and family?
Whatever your family dynamic looks like, family is first. Be intentional with your time with them. Your family shouldn’t be your retirement plan. Your family should be the reason you want to leave work as fast as you can every day.
Trust me, they will thank you later.
If this article stirred something in you, you’re not alone. If you need prayer, support, or someone to connect with at Mission First Alliance, we’re here to help you take the next step toward hope.Please reach out to us through our Contact Us page, or leave a comment below.
Law enforcement has a way of shaping life beyond the shift. Long before most families realize it, the job begins to influence how time is spent, energy is managed, and decisions are made at home. What often starts as dedication turns into a life lived in response to demands.
For many officers and spouses, survival becomes the goal to get through the shift, week, and season. Survival is sometimes necessary, but when it becomes the default way of life, it can overshadow our intentions.
This post is about learning to live with intention under the weight of the job, rather than letting the job set the direction for life and marriage without question.
When Survival Takes Over
Survival mode serves an important purpose at work. It keeps officers alert and responsive in environments that demand it. The challenge comes when that same posture follows everyone home.
Over time, conversations can drift toward schedules and responsibilities instead of connection, and time together feels rushed or divided as exhaustion sets the tone. Rest may begin to feel undeserved, as though slowing down requires justification rather than being necessary for health and connection.
For spouses, it can feel like the job never fully leaves. For officers, it can feel like there is nothing left to give once the shift ends. Most of the time, it becomes a matter of survival moving into the driver’s seat.
Choosing Direction on Purpose
Living with intention does not mean controlling every detail of life or creating routines that fall apart when schedules change. It’s about intention and a decision for values to guide choices, even when circumstances are demanding.
Without intention, the loudest pressures tend to win. However, with intention, couples begin asking different questions:
What kind of marriage are we building in this season?
What do we want our home to feel like when the job is heavy?
Those questions don’t remove stress, but they create clarity, making healthier choices possible.
A Grounding Faith
Faith serves as an anchor, as scripture points toward a life that is rooted rather than reactive, and shaped by purpose rather than urgency.
For law enforcement families, this grounding matters. The badge is part of the calling, but it is not the whole story. Living with intention becomes a spiritual practice when life at home is shaped by alignment instead of reaction.
Where has the job been setting the pace at home, and what is one small shift that could bring more intention into this season?.
Call to Action
You were never meant to navigate this calling alone. With the right tools and support, it is possible to build a marriage and family that grows stronger under pressure.
Join Bless the Badge at an upcoming conference, cruise, or retreat:Learn more here.
Let’s build stronger, thriving law enforcement families together!
If this article stirred something in you, you’re not alone. If you need prayer, support, or someone to connect with at Mission First Alliance, we’re here to help you take the next step toward hope.Please reach out to us through our Contact Us page, or leave a comment below.
It’s time to restore hope and healing to damagedcops, splintered relationships, and desperate families fighting a silent war. Consider this your wake-up call.
We need to be honest.
Too many lives, relationships, and families have been lost. So many more are just holding on.
Let’s stop lying to ourselves. The law enforcement life is not just stressful. It can be a destructive force that quietly erodes officers and families from the inside out, and a war that no one admits they’re fighting until they lose. It can take down marriages, steal identities, rewire personalities, and leave entire lives and households broken.
And while some see the uniform and applaud the hero, your family sees the fallout and pays the cost.
If you’re still reading, then you feel exactly what I’m saying. The emotional shutdown, irritability, numbness, and distance. The version of an officer, spouse, and parent who comes home physically but is emotionally unreachable. The truth is brutal.
The identity we were trained to wear, the invincible, hardened, emotionally vacant cop, can and will destroy us, and everyone we love. And still, we cling to it as if it’s all we have, know, and need. But it’s not. It’s something much different.
It’s the anchor pulling us and our families under. Officers are taught to be unshakeable, emotionless, and armored. Spouses are forced to be strong, steady, and patient, even as their homes quietly fall apart. And together, without ever intending to, we, the officers, our spouses, and our families become experts in silent suffering.
Your spouse sees the change long before you do. They feel the distance. They feel you slipping. They feel the emotional blackout. And yes, they’re terrified. Terrified of losing you physically, but more often, terrified because they’ve already lost you emotionally.
Everyone is exhausted, hurting, and pretending as they try to hold everything together. The family hangs on by a thread. And the truth is, that thread will break, eventually. Why? It all boils down to one problem at the base of everything. It’s an issue of identity. That’s it. And there’s only one question that clarifies everything, and one solution that moves an officer forward. One solution, one answer, to change everything.
Officers, we are losing pieces of ourselves every day we pretend we’re unaffected. We’re losing our ability to connect, to feel, to love, and to see the truth of what’s happening inside our own homes. Your job, training, and current focus is not helping you survive your own life.
Your position, the badge, the career, those aren’t the problem. Nor is your supervisor, the department, or the profession. Though they’re easy targets for officers who can sometimes act like victims.
It’s the identity. The internal armor. The emotional barricade. The persona that refuses vulnerability, help, and connection. Who you were trained to become is not compatible with a healthy marriage, a peaceful home, or a meaningful life. And if you refuse to confront that, you and your family will pay the price.
Spouses, you’re not imagining it or overreacting. You’re not weak for wanting more. You’ve been asked to hold together a home built on the unstable foundation of broken identity. You’ve been expected to stay strong, patient, and quiet, while you keep smiling through a storm that may be ripping your family apart.
But you can’t save someone who refuses to acknowledge they’re drowning. You can’t live in a home where you have to translate silence and tiptoe around emotional explosions. You can’t carry the weight of a person who won’t take their mask off long enough to see that they’re not only breaking themselves, but your family as well.
Your pain, frustration, fear, and exhaustion are real. Pretending they don’t exist only makes the damage worse. You’re not selfish for demanding change, you’re fighting to save the family that is slowly slipping through your fingers.
The solution is simple. But the price is high. It will take a total transformation. And nothing will change until the question of identity is answered confidently.
You cannot heal “a little.” It can’t be fixed with a vacation, weekend off, or inspirational quote. You can’t keep clinging to the persona designed to keep you alive on the street that’s destroying everything at home.
The old identity, the one built on suppression, silence, and emotional shutdown needs to go. It is outdated. It is corrosive. And it’s taking everything from you and all you love.
If you want to survive with your marriage, purpose, meaning, and direction intact, the old identity must die, and you must become someone new. You can become whole again, rebuild your relationships, and reclaim your life while still being the officer you’re proud to be.
You, your family, and your life matter. If you’re on the edge of burnout and despair, a better life, marriage, and a healthier version of you is possible, no matter how far gone things feel. I know, because I’ve walked this road myself. My family lived the internal war you’re fighting right now, and we’ve come out the other side. I was forced to choose, to answer just one question, or let everything I cared about fade away.
This is your line in the sand.
Your kids are counting on you. Your spouse needs you to follow through. This is the moment. Not tomorrow, not after the next shift, not when things calm down. Today. This minute. Choose the version of you who can actually breathe, connect, and lead again.
LET”S GO!
My offer costs nothing financially, but it will cost youthe mindset, identity, and life you currently have. And it’s a price your family and your own soul is begging you to pay. Can I ask you the question, and then hand you the keys to the answer?
For those of you at the crisis point and ready to commit, let’s talk. My question WILL change your life. We’ll work through it together. And I’ll lead the consistency, connection, and accountability as we do. When you’re ready to get your life back again, lead your family, and transform without ever having to look back, I’ll be waiting.
But it’s only for the willing, for those who have no other option, know they can’t do this alone, can’t fake it anymore, and are willing to give up control. For a cop, that’s impossible. But for those ready to be a new person, it’s the only thing that brings life.
Email me at Chad.campese@gmail.com. Let me know where you’re at. And we’ll see if you’re a good fit for a very small pilot group meant for those ready to lose everything they’ve become, while they gain purpose, meaning, clarity, and a way forward that brings real restoration and life to themselves, their relationships, and everything that truly matters.
If this story stirred something in you, you’re not alone. If you need prayer, support, or someone to connect with, we’re here to help you take the next step toward hope.Please reach out to us through our Contact Us page, or leave a comment below.
