Juliana Lesher (SBL'16)
July 31, 2020 | Written by Sarah Nguyen
From the age of four, Juliana Lesher (SBL ’16) knew what she wanted to do with her life: share the love of Jesus with hurting people. What she didn’t know was how hard she would have to fight to do it.
Currently, Chaplain Lesher leads our Nation’s Veterans and more than 800 chaplains as the National Director of Chaplain Service for the Department of Veterans Affairs—a promotion she earned three years after completing her Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership at Regent University.
But the journey to get there was anything but easy.
“I knew since a child that I was called to ministry, yet there were various health challenges and many closed doors,” shares Lesher. “As a female, I was told that I could not minister in the church. With a steel rod from my neck to my tailbone and a complete spinal fusion, I was told that I could not serve as an active duty military chaplain. When I wanted to enroll in pre-seminary studies for my undergraduate degree I was told to major in something more practical.”
Lesher pursued the ministry again, this time to serve as a missionary, but was denied because she was a single woman. That was the final blow.
“When the doors closed for a foreign mission assignment, I chose to resign at living,” Lesher said. “I believed there was no reason for me to live because my purpose in life to be in ministry was denied with every attempt.”
Having battled with anorexia since she was a child, Lesher sought to end her life through starvation. She was in her early twenties and weighed a staggering 49 pounds when she collapsed. Death seemed imminent, but God had other plans.
Others began to fight for her—including the team of paramedics who saved her life and the prayers of friends, family, and even strangers.
“I would not be here today if it were not for God’s incredible grace, the prayers of countless people, and the medical teams,” says Lesher.
With a second chance at life and a renewed sense of purpose, Lesher earned a Master of Divinity degree and began her pastoral career—starting as a chaplain at a Pennsylvania prison.
“As a child, I have a vivid memory of sharing with another little girl that I wanted to share Jesus with people in war zones, hospitals, and prisons. I did not know the word for ‘chaplain,’ yet what I described to my friend was precisely that,” says Lesher.
Over the last 20 years, Lesher has fulfilled her childhood dream by working as a chaplain in prisons, healthcare facilities, and at Veteran Affairs (VA) medical centers. But things took an interesting turn about halfway through her career while Lesher was serving as chaplain at a VA medical center in North Dakota during a long, harsh winter.
“I was spending a lot of time indoors so I began to pray about pursuing Ph.D. studies,” explains Lesher. Initially, I kept looking at Regent University’s School of Divinity. In the course of my exploration and soul-searching, I read about kenotic leaders by Dr. Corné Bekker. I was captivated by leadership principles that called for self-emptying and Divine empowerment as the basis of being a leader. I then looked into Regent University’s School of Business and Leadership, and knew that God was calling me to complete a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership.”
That degree helped pave the way for Lesher’s current role serving our Nation’s Veterans.
“Regent provided me with a greater understanding of how true leadership is about seeking Divine wisdom from God as the Ultimate Leader and seeking to serve as Christ served by emptying our own wills in service to God and others.
“It is my sacred honor to serve our Veterans who have served our Nation on behalf of the freedoms we hold dear,” adds Lesher.
One of those veterans was a former sniper who served in Vietnam and was awaiting a heart transplant. Overwhelmed by the memories and pain of his combat experience, he reached out to Lesher for help.
“He shared with me that while he was hoping for a new physical heart, he really believed that I was the person who could help him receive a new spiritual heart,” shares Lesher. “I had the privilege of sharing how God can take our guilt-ridden old hearts and transplant a new heart of grace-filled love within us because of Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection.”
It was a privilege for Lesher that might never have happened had her own life been cut short in her early twenties. Instead however, she went from a life of possibly ministering to no one, to today providing spiritual leadership and impact to a network of more than 9 million Veterans.
“I assure you that not a day goes by when I do not first thing fall to my knees and thank God for life,” says Lesher. “I simply find that as I continually acknowledge how my life is not my own… that God faithfully reveals His purposeful plans for my life.”
In addition to serving as National Director, Chaplain Lesher is also an author for the God Understands series—a resource for Veterans dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder. She is the recipient of the 2016 VA Under Secretary’s Award for Excellence in Chaplaincy, the 2013 Distinguished Service Award from the Military Chaplains Association, the 2013 VA Secretary’s Heart and Hands Award, the 2009 VA Chaplaincy Best Practice Award, and the 2008 VA Secretary’s Award for Excellence in Chaplaincy.