The Insane Warrior

David Watson, a missionary who has seen extraordinary church planting results has recently written a blog post entitled "The Insane Warrior" that gives great insights on warriors who battle on the physical as well as the spiritual planes.

The article begins:

Warriors, by necessity, are mentally imbalanced, when viewed by non-warriors. To put one’s self in harm’s way for another is not natural, regardless of politics, and requires a degree of insanity to do so. From the warriors’ perspective, the rest of the world lacks balance because it fails to understand the unique role of the warrior and what he or she has sacrificed in order for others to feel and/or be safe, often without even knowing they were not safe.

To read the rest, CLICK HERE.

A Meditation on Psalm 27:1

The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalm27:1)

Do you ever wonder how you will perform in the moment of truth? Whether you'll take appropriate action or just choke in fear? 

Even if you've been there, done that, you may wonder if you'll be up to the challenge next time. This is why it's important that you, as a Christian sheepdog, to keep your motives anchored in your relationship to your God and King.

I like the way this Psalm begins, because it has the same theme as Romans 8:31, "If God be for us, who can be against us?" Whether you have to face an orc who threatens those whom you care about or just face another day of life in the swamp of moral decay, you can do so with the confidence that if you are on God's side, He will be on your side. 

Since that's the case, "Of whom shall I be afraid?"

Psalm 27:1 Sung by the Georgia Boy Choir 

The Giant

My wife sent me this poem as it appeared on the blogsite Large Family Mothering. The blogger got it from McGuffey's Juvenile Reader.

The Giant


There came a giant to my door, 
A giant, fierce and strong. 
His step was heavy on the floor, 
His arms were ten yards long.


He scowled and frowned: He shook the ground: 
I trembled through and through; 
At length I looked him in the face, 
And cried, "Who cares for you?"


The mighty giant, as I spoke, 
Grew pale, and thin, and small;
And through his body, as 't were smoke, 
I saw the sunshine fall.


His blood-red eyes turned blue as skies, 
He whispered soft and low. 
"Is this," I cried, with growing pride,
"Is this the mighty foe?"


He sank before my earnest face, 
He vanished quite away, 
And left no shadow in his place 
Between me and the day.

My Rifle, Pony and Me

A few weeks back, my daughter Merrianna bought a DVD of the John Wayne movie Rio Bravo. We enjoyed watching it again -- it has been a favorite for years.

The theme of strong men trying to do the right thing against all odds appeals to me. Then there are tactical survival hints, such as what John Wayne's character does just before he sits down to talk to Ward Bond's character in the hotel lobby.

Another attractive aspect is the mutual respect and camaraderie among the main characters. Nothing forges bonds like facing hard times together.

At one of their low points, the main characters are hunkered down in the jail house. In the providence of the writers, it's just the time for a song -- and thanks to good casting, Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson are on hand to do the singing.

(Note to my barber: In our personal dark times, we never broke into song, bro, but we did hunker down and laugh at the absurdities of the evil around us. Enjoy the song.)

Motivational Quotes

From various sources (including my Bible & my barber).

Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them; For the LORD your God is He that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you. -- Deuteronomy 20:3-4

Choose wisely, practice 'til you're proficient and pray that you never need it! -- as seen on a gun forum

Blessed is he who when facing his own demise, thinks only of his front sight. -- as seen on a gun forum

The patriot volunteer, fighting for country and his rights, makes the most reliable soldier on earth. -- Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson

Call me paranoid at my funeral - until then, call me prepared. -- as seen on a gun forum

A few years ago I was taking some classes in Kali. The instructor said something along that line of thught that stuck with me. He said," I don't fear the man who practices 10,000 types of punches. I fear the man who has practiced 1 punch 10,000 times." -- as seen on a gun forum in a debate about "beware the man with one gun,for he knows how to use it."

Strong men stand up for themselves, stronger men stand up for others.

Out of every 100 men sent to battle, 10 shouldn't even be there, 80 are just targets, 9 are the real fighters, and we are lucky to have them for they make the battle. Ah, but the one, one is a warrior and he will bring the others back. - Heraclitus 500 BC

For the LORD hath driven out from before you great nations and strong: but as for you, no man hath been able to stand before you unto this day. One man of you shall chase a thousand: for the LORD your God, he it is that fighteth for you, as he hath promised you. (Jos 23:9-10)

Courage, 2

Continued from "Mindset: Courage"

Core-age (strength at the core) rises in answer to the call of the twin voices: necessity and obligation.

For many years, humorist Garrison Keillor has touted the benefits of Powder Milk Biscuits. "They give shy persons the strength to do what needs to be done." I don't know how much courage one derives from fictitious biscuits, but Keillor has hit the nail on the head when it comes to courage.

Shy people don't like crowds and avoid potentially awkward social situations. But there are those unavoidable situations where you have to deal with people -- drivers' license tests, job interviews, asking for directions, etc.

Sooner or later the fearful or shy person recognizes that the task must be done and that he must do it, no matter how distasteful. At that point he in effect says, "No," to his fears and dislikes, and he does what needs to be done.

To reach the point where he is willing to do what needs to be done, he must have strength at the core.

To be continued

Mindset: Courage

Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. (Jos 1:9)

Richard, the Norman king of England, bore the French nickname couer de leon (heart of lion). In fact, our English word courage descended from the very same French word for heart.

In this sense, heart does not so much refer to the organ that pumps blood as it does to the center, the essential core (which may also come from couer) of one's being. Thus we might think of courage as "core-age".

Merriam-Webster defines courage as follows:

: mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty

Simply put, courage is strength at the core.

I am put in mind of a scene from The Magnificent Seven in which two boys from the Mexican village speak with the Hispano/Irish gunfighter, Bernardo O'Reilly(played by Charles Bronson). When the boys refer to their fathers as cowards, Bernardo turns each one over his knee for a spanking and then lectures them on how their fathers go to the fields day after day, enduring hardship and disappointment in order to feed their families. He ends with the words, "I never had that kind of courage."

To be continued