Monthly Archives: January 2026

Main, Mission, Strategy, Work

1777 Revisited

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The world is looking for Christians. Let them know when any show up.

The year is 1777. It is late December. You are at a place called Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. You are in the Continental Army led by General George Washington during the American Revolutionary War. Looking over a barren plateau, a day’s march from Philadelphia, you only have a mental picture of what will soon become reality. You have to build your living quarters, mess hall, command center, and supply huts before you can occupy them. You’re cold. You’re tired. You are hungry and your clothes were nothing more than glorified rags. Still, having a spark of fighting spirit and determination, you muster all the strength you have and put yourself to the task of building your encampment knowing that just 18 miles to the southeast there lies the enemy. The city that was stolen by the British that must be taken back.

As far as the building project goes, the officers formed the men into construction squads and instructed them to build cabins according to a 14-foot by 16-foot model. The army placed the 2,000-odd huts in parallel lines, and according to one officer, the camp “had the appearance of a little city” when viewed from a distance. Most agreed that their log accommodations were “tolerably comfortable.”

Being a professional soldier in the Army took a lot of training as well. My career started with Basic Training at Fort Leonard Wood, MO, and progressed to Advanced Training at Fort Knox, KY. I was in a total of 8 years, and even after I graduated from my advanced training to be proficient in repairing tanks, I still had to train at my permanent duty station in Kirchgons, Germany. As we prepared for conflict in the Persian Gulf, we had to learn a little Arabic, enemy tactics and what he used as weapons, and we trained for desert fighting since most of us have never been in the desert. We were given playing cards with pictures of enemy vehicles on them so we could memorize them and recognize them when we saw one. Yes, terrain and tactics may change, but our training proved itself in victory 35 years ago when we liberated Kuwait.

One of the weaknesses of the Continental Army of 1777, as told to us by General George Washington himself, was that too many commands were heard during campaigns that confused the militia. It is said that many a battle may have been won had it not been for someone to randomly yell, “RETREAT,” and the men would scatter. Can you see how that would disorient the soldiers? Valley Forge would change all of that. A German by the name of Baron Heinrich Wilhelm von Steuben was put in charge of drills and marksmanship. His tactics are still in use in today’s military. He taught them how to march in ranks. How to turn and pinwheel and advance or retreat on command. Besides the sounding of “Charge” and “Retreat,” the military still uses bugle calls beginning early in the morning for waking up with ”First Call,” for the raising of the flag with the playing of “Reveille,” the morning and afternoon mess, the lowering of the flag with “Retreat” and “To the Colors,” and for lights out by the playing of “Taps.”

Why does the training never stop? The enemy is always changing his tactics, his frontal assaults, and the use of his arsenal. Discipline builds confidence. Knowing your equipment and how to use it is vital. The gas chamber helped us understand how a protective mask keeps out dangerous chemicals. We learned about military operations, but most importantly, we learned about ourselves. When our heads were spinning with questions, our confidence made possible through discipline and training, kept up moving forward.

As Christian soldiers, we have an arsenal as well—the Full Armor of God (Ephesians 6:13-18). The greatest offensive weapon ever entrusted to mankind is the Sword of the Spirit, or the Word of God. Added to that is the Shield of Faith that can deflect any projectile the enemy has to throw at us. Don’t let your guard down. We can’t let our shields to be shattered. King Ahab found out a weakness in his armor when a random arrow found its mark through a crack and took his life (1 Kings 22:34-36).

Proper use of God’s Word comes from training and practice. Training is staged at our church gatherings small groups. Just like listening to a coach, or a drill instructor, the application of what we learn during our training in practice can determine our success or failure in real life combat. We have to remember all the battle plans, trust in our authority, and how and where we have to go when an attack is launched against our position. When given orders, we have to know the Authority of the one who has charging us with those orders and when the trumpet blows at the order of the Commander, what to do. “For if the bugle produces an indistinct sound, who will prepare himself for battle?” (1 Corinthians 14:8).

Following God’s plans for the church and for families is very important to our success here on earth. When we memorize Scripture, or parts of it, we have embedded God’s word in us. I had two professors in seminary who challenged themselves with memorizing the entire New Testament. I personally knew these men: Dr. Lewis Foster, Dr. Wilke Winter, and a preacher friend named brother Ed Bousman. I know two of them succeeded. One of them was asked to speak in a country in which is was forbidden to be seen with a bible—Albania in the 1980’s. During that time, Christian leaders were being executed for their faith. Dr. Lewis Foster, who also helped translate Luke and Acts in the NIV, traveled to Albania and preached the bible from memory.

We may not always have a Bible near us. Sometimes we need an answer to a situation immediately. 1 Peter 3:15 says, “Always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is within you with gentleness and respect.” When we have the Word of God in our minds and on our hearts, we have God’s answer to the situation. This way, we will know what God would want us to do. The Bible says to hide the Word of God in our hearts so that we will not sin against God. Knowing the Bible allows us to follow Jesus and to be sensitive to His leading.

Psalm 119:9-16 is one of my favorite Scriptures from Psalms. Imagine us praying to God to know more of His ways than to learn how to avoid them.

The takeaway for today’s message, discipline and training made the difference in the Continental Army. It increased their confidence, courage, and proficiency, which gave them greater hope, faith, and victory.

A quote attributed to Baron von Steuben as he entered the emcampment at Valley Forge was, “I’m here to train soldiers. Let me know when any get here.” May it never be that someone should walk in among us and say, “I’m looking for faithful Christians. Can you please tell me where I can find some.” What does the Christian life look like? God gives us all we need to serve Him: mind, eyes, mouth, hands/arms, feet/legs. We’ve been using them wrongly for too long. Let go and let God show you how to use them rightly.

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left His house and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed. (Mark 1:35)

Fatherhood, Main, Marriage, Mission, Strategy, Work

The Path to Discipline

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“I’m here to train soldiers. Let me know when any get here?” (Attributed to Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben)

These are words that paraphrase the sense of humor of Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben when he entered the complex of Valley Forge in the winter of 1777 and found the Continental Army battered and demoralized. It did not resemble an army and the men had no likeness of being a soldier.

“I’m looking for Christians. Can you please tell me where I can find some?”

In our classrooms and churches, among the Body of Christ, where are those disciplined enough to take a stand against the enemy? I see more evidence of sympathizers of the enemy than soldiers of the cross. We are fraternizing with the wicked one and the evidence is in our tolerance, identification, and assimilation with the wickedness of the world. It is a symptom of a lack of training and being undisciplined.

To Baron von Steuben, training was of utmost importance. Training not only engages the enemy with confidence, it also instills confidence in those standing next to us in the ranks of many others who stand firm for the same cause.

In the wake of the battles of Brooklyn, the British taking Manhattan, and the surrender of Philadelphia, the Continental Army was reduced to a ragtag force of no cohesion and low morale. Along with these lows, dissertation was becoming more of a problem.

I happened to be fascinated by military history. The movement of ranks beginning with squad, to platoon, to company, to battalion, to brigade, to division, is a discipline of order.

In the Gulf War, my trucking company was one of only a few heavy transport companies that could carry loads of sizes up to and including the M1A1 Main Battle Tank (MBT). At the beginning of the conflict, Desert Shield, in January 1991, we were certain all troops were deployed along lines from which the coalition forces would launch an invasion into Iraq and Kuwait. Suddenly, orders came from VII Corps that the divisions that we delivered needed to be re-deployed. Everyone needed to flip-flop. All we knew is that it needed to happen NOW. Yes, we could question motives, but never strategy since we were not privileged to see the whole Theater of Operations. We did it and it became clear why it had to be done and the proof was in the victory.

Reflecting on the poem by Tennyson “The Charge of the Light Brigade,” and I paraphrase, “ours was not to reason why.” When it comes to deciding between morality and immorality, the Christian should have no other option but to flee immorality and impurity.

The Bible contains metaphors of athleticism (mostly from Paul) and the discipline needed for the individual to succeed in the ONE RACE. Note how I did not say TEAM. Physical discipline produces mental and psychological confidence. But a resolved acted on solely by our own strength will prove futile.

Rosie Ruiz. How many of you know her name? She crossed the finish of Boston Marathon as one of the fastest female runners of all time. It was discovered later that she never completed the race. She rode the subway until the very end of the race where she jumped out of the crowd and accepted the winning medal. After it was discovered that she cheated, the race committee tried to recover the medal but she never gave it up to her dying day. She never confessed to any wrongdoing. Her physique should have betrayed her, but despite that she entered the race without qualifying claiming she had brain cancer, so they gave her a medical exception. Her life was a lie. Here own efforts at success, brought her to defeat.

Personal ambition and conditioning in the spiritual realm is different. Spiritual self-discipline isn’t a pursuit that we simply force into habit; for if that were the case, there would be little need for the Holy Spirit in our lives. Physical habits work like that, like what we call “muscle memory.” Remember Galatians 5 then, self-control is a fruit of the Spirit.

We wouldn’t have it without the Spirit as it is His gifting and work in us. This realization begs the question then: How do we become more self-disciplined in our spiritual lives?

Consider what Jeff Iorg puts forth in his book The Character of Leadership, “No fleshly effort will please God or build true discipline. Self-discipline refers to self as the object of discipline rather than its source. Even though discipline is learned, and self is the object of the discipline, the motivation and power to develop discipline comes from the Spirit.” It’s in the daily surrender, the daily opportunity, the daily service, as Paul frequently refers to being “slaves” for Christ.

In order to become self disciplined, we need to stop trying to take on the Spirit’s role as the source of life-changing power and rely on the strength He will faithfully work IN us. By allowing the exercise of the Holy Spirit in us, we will gain a faith and confidence in our training that is the fruit of obedience and this will equip us for future victories, and eliminate failures.

Paul told Timothy to be strengthened by the Grace of Jesus (2 Timothy 2:1). If our motivation isn’t coming from the Holy Spirit, then we will continue in vain and fail in the practice of self-discipline. You know what I’m talking about. You’ve tried to kick a bad habit. You try, and try, in vain, and in all your physical ability, you fail. I’ve been there. Remember what I said, we are the object of the discipline, the motivation and power to develop discipline comes from the Holy Spirit. We can not be conformed into the likeness we want. He is the Potter and we are the clay. Like the old song, “Have Thine Own Way” says, “mold me and make me, after Thy will, while I am waiting, yielded, and still.”

The great early American preacher, Jonathan Edwards, when he was only 19 years old, made this declaration of personal resolve, as recorded in his Diary on Saturday, January 12, 1723.

“In the morning. I have this day, solemnly renewed my baptismal covenant and self-dedication, which I renewed, when I was taken into the communion of the church. I have been before God, and have given myself, all that I am and have, to God; so that I am not, in any respect, my own. I can challenge no right in this understanding, this will, these affections, which are in me. Neither have I any right to this body, or any of its members: no right to this tongue, these hands, these feet; no right to these senses, these eyes, these ears, this smell, or this taste. I have given myself clear away, and have not retained anything, as my own. I gave myself to God, in my baptism, and I have been this morning to him, and told him, that I gave myself wholly to him. I have given every power to him, so that for the future, I’ll challenge no right in myself, in no respect whatever. I have expressly promised him, and I do now promise Almighty God, that by his grace, I will not.”

Our motivation will be of an eternal scope when we press into the Holy Spirit, and He will give us the strength to “run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1).