Purple Heart Vet Helps Distribute 'Bible Sticks' to Troops
A recently retired Army vet is helping to bring God's word to active duty military service members.
Matt Cassady, an Army chaplain who retired last November after serving two tours of duty in Afghanistan, has joined Faith Comes By Hearing as its new director of chaplaincy ministries for its Military BibleStick outreach ministry, the Christian Post reported.
The organization distributes digital audio devices called Military BibleSticks. They are about the size of a pack of gum and the device allows military service members and veterans to listen to dramatized recordings of the New Testament and selected Psalms.
The ministry has distributed more than 625,000 Military BibleSticks over the past seven years. They are offered to service members, veterans and their families free of charge.
Cassady knows first-hand the difficulty service members have when trying to get their hands on a Bible, especially when they are on duty and deployed.
Cassady earned a Purple Heart in 2005 after an IED hit his Humvee. During the ambush, his seatbelt malfunctioned, which sent him flying all over the inside of the Humvee and causing injuries to his back, legs and hip.
The nerves on his left side were crushed, causing him to lose feeling in his left leg for about six months. Despite the injuries, Cassady refused to be sent to Germany for an MRI so that he wouldn't be forced to leave his troops.
"Probably not the smartest decision I have ever made in life, but I love my guys and I didn't want to leave them without a chaplain; and I knew that it takes a while to replace a chaplain and so, I wanted to stay," Cassady told the Christian Post.
Cassady explained that service members are not allowed to have their cellphones and don't have their hands or eyes free to read from their Bible. The Military BibleStick is a tool to help these men and women build upon their faith while they complete their work.
"The BibleStick is one thing that allows them to listen to the Word of God — whether you are on a treadmill running or you are in the barracks or cleaning your rifle," Cassady said.
"That means you can't read the Word of God while you are doing this, but if you are listening to the Bible, then you have the ability to allow it to come into your heart, to renew your mind," he said.
"The more you allow your Christian faith to be preeminent in your life and the more space you create for it in your life, the more you are going to grow," he added.
