S03E03 | Dr. Dennis Lowry & CH (COL) Joe Willis, USA (Ret.)
October 25, 2022
Distinguished from all other guests, this episode features host Dr. Matt Davis’s father-in-law, Dr. Dennis Lowry, a retired doctoral-level professor of journalism and mass communication. Commencing with an anecdote from Dennis’s short-term missionary stint in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the remainder of their discussion springs from Dennis’s statement on professionalism in which he specifies traits that define professionals. No matter how much knowledge students acquire in study, unless they learn to function as a responsible professional, he claims, they will fail. Not based on innate talent, his list requires an honest work ethic, self-motivation, humility, and refinement of the identified traits.
Our second guest returns from last season. Chaplain Joe Willis presents the most rewarding aspect of chaplaincy work—one-on-one counseling with personnel of all ranks. Many veterans struggle with PTSD, alcoholism, and hopelessness, as do police, firefighters, and secret service members. Chaplain Willis enjoys telling counselees that they are experiencing a normal response to trauma, offering them hope of victory through spiritual means, preferring to call PTSD “post-traumatic stress injury,” which implies potential healing. He shares ways we can all encourage these hurting souls who have sacrificed for us.
