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A call to write

Army officer serves more ways than one

Lt. Col. Cheryl D. Brady receives assistance from Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Tim Walls during the baptism of U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Colleen Harris using the swimming pool of the former presidential palace of Saddam Hussein. Photo by Lt. Col. Cheryl Brady

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When Puyallup resident Lt. Col. Cheryl D. Brady received her commission on May 11, 1984, as an Army ordnance officer, she had no idea that while serving her country she would also be called to teach, preach and write two books.

Brady's first book, "For God's Glory," was published in April 2006 and her second book, "Iraq: a Spiritual Journey - First of Many Things," will be published in February.

Brady was firstR attached to then Fort Lewis in 1996. Since coming here, she deployed to Taszar, Hungary (1998); completed two tours in Korea (1999-2000, 2004-2005); spent one year in Baghdad, Iraq (2006-2007); and now serves as the Area Support Group-Kuwait, director of Logistics at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, where she deployed in August 2009.  

"I never set out to write a book," Brady said. "It was never a desire, dream or ambition of mine, but everything on earth is completely subject to God's control, and he made it happen."

Brady's first book, "For God's Glory," completely took her by surprise. In fact, she had never thought of writing a book until three people brought it to her attention - Lisa Lee, evangelist Vernice Brown and Geraldine Pebdani.

"After my friend told me the second time that the Holy Spirit told her that I would write a book, I listened to her words of encouragement, but I didn't understand what book I was supposed to write," Brady said.

Later she realized that her book was nearly finished already.

"I wrote articles over a period of two years for my church newsletter at the Faith, Love and Hope Ministry," she said. "My first book is an accumulation of those articles with the exception of the final chapter."

Even Brady's search for a publisher was timed perfectly.

"The Lord brought me together with a sister in Christ during a spiritual retreat a month before I left Korea in May 2005," she said. "It was from her that I learned about the Christian publishing company Xulon Press."

Brady compiled and saved the material for her second book, "Iraq: A Spiritual Journey - First of Many Things," during her tour of duty in Iraq.

"I believed the story needed to be told of what the Lord did in that place," she said.

Through the telling of her 12-month tour of duty, Brady shares her firsthand account of God's sovereignty and goodness in the midst of chaos and despair.

For this book she used Christian publisher WinePress Group in Enumclaw, Wash.

"God chooses the timing and the places for his name to be honored," Brady said. "God chose the former presidential palace in Baghdad, a place once used by an evil man, Saddam Hussein, to do evil works, and he turned it into a place for his name to be honored by using it to do good works."

To order "Iraq: A Spiritual Journey - First of Many Things," visit www.winepressbooks.com or call (877) 421-7323. 

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