Hitting a cord

Hitting a cord

Today at Center Church as soon as we got there I felt a pull and I was trying to tap into the source during the worship when my wife tried to stoke my worship fire. I lost track of my focus and then Pastor Steven made an appeal to worship more zestfully. I understand that we are called to worship the Lord, it is not something that I am used to. I recalled my first BUD/s class 133, there was an officer named Mark Farley who used to be a Marine Corps. As a Drill instructor for Aviation Officer Candidates (AOCS). I caught pneumonia and he was had shin splints and we were both waiting in line for medical. I said something to him like “You aren’t very motivated” I had to explain myself in a hurry. I said “You don’t seem very motivated when we are waiting in line to run the obstacle course. His reply was “Is it more important to be motivated while we are standing in line for the obstacle course or when you are going over the obstacles?” Now I completely understand praising the Lord, honoring him and giving him praise. There is power in a loud utterance.

During Vietnam Navy SEALs used to yell “Yeah, yeah get some!” They were getting themselves fired up to do somethings that really were not that enjoyable. Humping around at night with 100+ lbs of gear. Possibly getting shot at, shooting another human being…..etc. There is something about that battle cry which puts your butterflies in check. I had a classmate during BUD/s get hammered by the instructors for yelling “Yeah, yeah get some!” They knew he was getting himself fired up and they swooped in on him. It was too late, he had already pumped himself up. So understand how making a loud joyful noise can stir something inside of you.

I started thinking about fasting, I used to starve myself to make weight as a fighter and I hated it. They is why I started running and paying more attention to what I put in my body. It is a lot easier to maintain an optimal weight and limit yourself for just a couple of days then trying to lose 20 lbs by no eating for four days before the fight. The first 24 hours is the worst. After that your body goes into a state of ketosis. The real reason boxers seem slow minded isn’t from getting hit but from starving trying to make weight. After the first day of fasting it gets easier. I was just going to fast on Friday the 10th but I think will start on Wednesday and get the full benefit. Every time feel hunger pains it will trigger me to pray. I am getting myself psyched up. Yeah, yeah get some!  

When Pastor Steven made the call for those who wish to volunteer as a youth minister my wife Janice and I made sure we stuck around to get the paperwork for the background check. The female youth minister who was handing out the paperwork mentioned when I told her I was interested in the Trail Life program that she was interested in it too. When I think back on Scouting I recall tying knots. The funny thing is that during SEAL training you spend a lot of time tying knots. As a parachute rigger, that is what I did most of the time. I never got to do a lot of hiking and rock climbing in Scouts but I made up for it as a Navy SEAL. There are a lot of things to teach young men. Basic things like how to wear your gear, sharpen your knife, how to read a compass and a map. As a Navy SEAL you also had to sound proof your equipment. You can’t sneak up on anyone sounding like Festus Haggen and his mule.

Once I got into a platoon at SEAL Team Four Raul Valdez and I had a trade-off, he taught me how to set up my gear and field craft and I taught him how to fight. We had some killer workouts. Push-ups, pull-ups and dips was a killer routine we did regularly. He taught me to wrap my canteen cup with riggers tape to keep the handle from rattling but also to keep extra riggers tape on hand, he also showed me how to cowl parachute cord on the bottom of my canteen pouch so I would have it available if I needed it. He had me wrapped kim-lights with riggers tape and to use them before I used my mini-mag light. Raul now trains government agents how to do the same things. There are all kinds of things you just don’t use every day like how to walk through the woods. It is amazing how you get kind of a sixth sense but what it really is, you become very aware when you are being influenced to go in a direction that isn’t natural.

That is how you know when you are being lead into a trap. It happens every time you are force off of your course or you go against the natural flow of things. One of the lessons in sales I learned is the “Three Strikes Rule” If a prospect isn’t cooperative, they don’t engage you in conversation, they won’t commit to an appointment, they won’t tell you how they will pay for the product or when they want to buy it, they get two strikes. If they are a doctor, teacher or engineer they get one strike just because they think then are too smart, if they have a foreign accent I have a trust factor to overcome. If I get three strikes I do a subtle take away and ask for a referral. If they push back and let me know that they are really interested then I let them know that I am not asking them questions for my health. I need to know if I can really help them. Sometimes if I feel that they aren’t serious I will ask them a question jokingly but I am serious. They will take it better if it is said in jest.

When it comes to working out, boxing or scouting, these are all enjoyable activities where you can learn valuable lessons. It is always better when you enjoy something while you are learning. As a leader you often have to lure people with the enjoyment first until they are vested. It is easy to do once you hear their excitement. Once boxing started getting fun it was a lot easier to win.