Heart of a Warrior

Occasionally we write about men in the program at the mission. Unlike some of the television dramas that change the names to protect the innocent, we have never done that. We will not make an exception this time. Then again we do not really have anyone there who is innocent.

Let me tell you how the title for this post came about. It is a two-part explanation. It was probably about two months ago. I can never be sure of time frames longer ago than vacation, but that seems about right. We were having devotions at the mission. I was saying something, which I am certain was scintillating, and looking at the men as I did. I looked at CJ and the Holy Spirit said, "That man has the heart of a warrior." I said that out loud to the group. One day the next week, CJ told the group he really wanted to have the heart of a warrior. So then this morning--about 5:00 the Holy Spirit spoke this title to my spirit. (Yes, it is Saturday. I have mentioned how I feel about these early morning wake-ups before.)

If you google the phrase, "dysfunctional family" you will see a picture of CJ's family. (Obviously not true in case you have not googled yet.) Suffice it to say, CJ had no idea how to live a normal life before coming to the mission. Now that I type that, I am not sure we are helping him figure out whatever a "normal" life is, but that is all right. We are still giving him some things he can use when he completes the program.

You could ask any of the other men in the program who is the most "spiritual" man in the program right now and they will tell you it is CJ. They know "spiritual" when they see it because they get it hammered into their heads on a daily basis. In case you are wondering, "spiritual" is usually about 180 degrees off what we "think" is right. (Proverbs 14:12, 16:25) Is CJ perfect? That depends on your understanding of perfect. He was lost and depressed when he came to the mission over four months ago. He did not know where he belonged. Now he is redeemed by the blood of Jesus. He has been baptized in water. His mind is pretty much 180 degrees from where it was when he first showed up in my office. He knows he is where is supposed to be. He is helping other men in their Christian walk and this post is evidence that he is teaching me something by the way he is living.

I tell people CJ is my first choice if I need someone to guard my back. Did I mention he is about five feet nine inches tall and weighs around 300 pounds? He could probably stand to lose a few pounds, but I have never seen calves as thick as his. Aside from all that, I would trust him to guard my back--to be behind me. He has the heart of a warrior.

Most of us know someone who is a U.S. Marine. I use the verb "is" because I am told "once a Marine, always a Marine." In his autobiography, Roger Staubach writes about being at the Naval Academy. He writes that he could always tell which cadets were going to be Marine officers because they wore combat boots and ran when they did not have to. In his words they were, "gung ho". They were not only dedicated to what they were doing as the other midshipmen were, they were enthusiastic about it. Being a Marine is more of an attitude than anything one does. Being a warrior is pretty much the same thing.

Right now a group of us are in training to defeat the religious spirit over the Santa Maria valley. Many of us do not even know we are being trained. We do not recognize the Lord's discipline in our lives. I even have one man (intentional understatement) in the program who avoids the discipline he knows he needs. He is typical of those who do not have God's vision for their lives. (Proverbs 29:18)

We are still dealing with people who think we are making all this religious spirit stuff up as though we are looking for a purpose or our destiny in the wrong place. This whole blog thing is intended to raise the awareness of the church--the called out ones--in the Santa Maria valley and anywhere else people would encourage and support us in prayer. Be sure the battle is real. We have already seen a few, minor victories. Those keep us encouraged. When we see men like CJ making progress as he is, we can say with the Psalmist, "This was the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes." (Psalm 118:23)