(Photo: 1stSgt Lucas in Iraq,
shortly after the invasion, 2003.)
I’ve learned Extreme
results demand extreme thinking and training. As part of a six man recon
team, you are expected to infiltrate into the enemy’s territory observe him,
and exfiltrate without getting caught. This demands an attention to detail
mindset, physical endurance, and specialized schooling. The responsibility
on a recon team leader’s shoulders are much more than on his counterpart in
a more conventional setting.
The rewards are greater too, specialized pay,
and independent spirit, and knowing that you are one of the few
reconnaissance types who can do this for a living and not live the drudgery
of a more conventional Marine Corps life.
In turn though, other Marines sometimes
misunderstand you. They think you are extreme, and they mistake your
confidence for cockiness. They will always look for a way to justify their
selves for not being a reconnaissance type, and remind you that they are
just a much a Marine as you (which is true.) While they are worried about
doing a physical fitness test, you are getting ready for your quarterly 12
mile 50 pound ruck run. While a group of 180 Marines are checking their
rifles, night vision goggles and gear prior to a night attack, your five men
are checking HF, UHF radios, digital camera’s, digital terminals, crypto,
and making sure that your nautical charts are good to go prior to an
amphibious swim into a 4-day mission without an Officer or senior Staff NCO
present. Parachuting, diving, demolitions, and close quarters combat are all
part of the training, day and night. More fun, more responsibility, more
rewards, more satisfaction. This may mean going to Ranger school, and taking
a chance and ruining your reputation, losing weight, and sleep. This may
mean going to Combatant dive course, where you have to do a 6.2 nautical
mile swim, and countless night navigation swims in cold water. This may mean
that you must patrol many square kilometers of terrain wearing a 60-pound
ruck, in frigid cold, or hot energy sucking weather. All this so you can be
part of an elite group.
So it is with living the life of faith. The
effective life of faith demands that you live a life of freedom from what
other Christians would normally put up with. Sickness, disease, lack of
power in prayer, failure in business, lack of finances, and other things are
not to be the normal routine for you.
This means extreme thinking, and doing will
become your lifestyle. It’s not really extreme, but to some “Christian”
friends, and family it is. Running with boots, running with a back pack,
swimming in the ocean in February, doing an hour of calisthenics, and being
fiercely loyal to your unit, are all extreme to some people but serve to
build the heart of the warrior, and make you a more effective one.
Examples of extreme Christianity are as
follows: Making sure that the words that come out of your mouth align with
the scripture, tithing, giving money to missions, buying a homeless guy a
chicken dinner, and then eating with him, pleading the blood over each
member of your family at night and in the morning, believing and praying for
a healing, listening to preaching CD’s on the way to work every day,
listening to praise music, reading your Bible on an airplane, taking
communion in your home, taking dominion over a bad circumstance, building
prayer checklist’s and building victory notebooks. Your religious friends,
family, fellow Marines and the world will say your extreme. Are you really?
If you are debt free, free of sickness, your prayers get answered, and favor
always surrounds you, and when a storm approaches you don’t talk scared,
then you are a testament to the fact that Jesus is alive today.
It pays to be an extreme Christian who lives
by faith. I’ll never buy into dead religion. It has come too late for me. My
children, and family will be victorious, prosperous, healed, mighty men and
women of valor, who will set this world on fire for Christ no matter what
the nay-sayers may say. The world will have what they say and believe, and
my family will have what they say and believe as long as it is based on the
word. A free man is always envied. Being an elite soldier is just like the
life of faith. It is a way of life that infiltrates everything you do, and
affects your whole outlook. I’ll never again be conformed to the world,
religion, or the join the masses that live in bondage to the things that the
Bible says you don’t have to. This way I can effectively advertise Jesus
Christ.
When choosing between ineffective religion,
and any belief that overplays God’s sovereignty, or choosing to live the
exciting faith filled life that really helps others, and correctly
advertises Jesus Christ, the choice is obvious for me!
As a father, you want the best for your
children, but also want them to succeed and value your word. God is our
Father, and he’s no different. As for me and my house, we will serve the
Lord in this way.
