Charting the Course to Victory with a Strategic Battle Plan for Modern Manhood

Ever feel like going it alone is just too tough? This episode of Foxhole Symphony challenges the solitary struggle and uncovers the transformative power of brotherhood. With Sarge and Mark at our side, we share heartfelt tales from personal counseling sessions and the sanctuary of our Foxhole community. We delve into the life-affirming moments of vulnerability, pivotal spiritual milestones, and the undeniable necessity of authentic connections for navigating the complexities of modern manhood. 

Strap in for a strategic deep-dive into battle planning for life's skirmishes, where defining victory becomes paramount. Our discussion ventures beyond just identifying the obstacles; it lays out a roadmap with the first steps toward triumph. We salute the wisdom of Justin Camp and resources like the 'Wire' devotional, emphasizing the balance between celebrating wins and learning from losses. Whether you're a CEO or just charting your personal path, the insights shared here on proactive strategies and the blessings of a supportive network are sure to resonate.

In the final stretch of our symphony, we explore the rigors of leadership and sales, and how ambition coupled with faith can elevate your goals. Authentic community stands at the forefront again, as we spotlight ministries like Priority One and other brotherhoods offering solace and strength. By episode's end, the invitation is clear: join us in the foxhole, where camaraderie and deep roots of fellowship offer a wellspring of support for life's battlefield.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:08

Welcome to Foxhole Symphony, a podcast about the transformational value of men in authentic community.

Speaker 2: 0:14

And our Foxhole men are equipped to build relationships that foster belonging, accountability and growth.

Speaker 1: 0:20

Stop believing the lie that you can thrive in isolation and instead join us on the journey for broken to whole.

Speaker 3: 0:27

Hello everyone. They call me the maestro and we are back in the Foxhole where we actively pursue belonging, accountability and growth through authentic relationships. No masks, no agendas, just iron, sharpening iron. Today, stephen and Mark are ready for action. They are making a list and checking it twice, and we're all going to find out who really paid the price. Get your favorite notes app open and let's jump in. The LZ is hot. Here we go.

Speaker 1: 0:55

Hey, welcome back to the Foxhole Symphony podcast. I am Mark and here is my friend Sarge. Hey, what's happening? Lots. We've already done counseling for an hour.

Speaker 2: 1:08

That's really why we do this. You know the episode. Why we do this? Episode 49? We're going to go back, scratch that. The real reason we do it is because we are so needy and screwed up that we have the opportunity to jump in the Foxhole and counsel each other.

Speaker 1: 1:23

And then yeah, as this our talking space this is one of the beauties of having a Foxhole with you. You know, being part of that and so true, and the joy of really doing it. And I have no boundaries. I'm sure I have some, but I have no predisposed boundaries in my conversations with you. You're one of the few people in my life. It's like my brain, my head is like a gumball machine. You just turn the knob and stuff comes flying. And isn't it freeing? Oh it is you don't have to.

Speaker 2: 1:54

There's no concern. No, no filters. No, Am I allowed to say this? Should I not say that? What's the repercussions of this? You know? Self self preservation, self protection, guilt, shame, whatever. None of it, I'm the same, yeah, same.

Speaker 1: 2:07

And I look, I do want you to see me a certain way, but you've seen me every way. Yes, you know. So it's like ah, it's um, um, yeah baby. It makes me laugh. No, you've seen me on the mount tops and in the valleys.

Speaker 2: 2:20

Yeah, amen.

Speaker 1: 2:22

I think that's a quote I gave you this morning Um well, we experienced God on the mountain tops. Yes, but come to know him in the valleys, the valleys. Yeah, that's a ponderer right there.

Speaker 2: 2:33

Yeah, I love that Cause. We, you know we recently I mean in, in, uh, wrecking balls. You know we were talking a little bit about that Yep, and you know how we I hadn't thought of it in those terms. You know differently it was oh yeah. You know, we, we experienced God both on the mountain tops, but especially in the valley, and valleys was was how I, how I thought of it.

Speaker 3: 2:55

Right.

Speaker 2: 2:57

But that quote really does bring it home, right. We experienced him on the mountain tops Like, wow, look what God did, right. But yeah, we really get to know his character in the valleys and um, it is a beautiful thing and we've both experienced that.

Speaker 1: 3:17

It is. It is great, and I can remember a time in my my faith journey where I was just mountaintop hopping. Can you just picture it, super Mario?

Speaker 2: 3:31

I didn't, I don't play it.

Speaker 1: 3:32

Yeah, uh, yes. But that my I think it's because my faith was a mile wide and an inch deep, to be brutally honest, and it was just great. You know cause I would go at Southridge? I go from event to event.

Speaker 2: 3:48

Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1: 3:48

Activity Activity, activity, activity.

Speaker 2: 3:53

Well, I think, at that time, though, I remember that. I remember that I and I was doing the same. I think we were doing it together, we did a lot, and it was like, well, where's God moving next? Let's go there, you know, and, and that's a weekend, what and why was that? Because experiencing him on those mountain tops just became like addictive.

Speaker 1: 4:11

It's like I want more of that, and which is not, you know, a bad thing, one of the first Bible I've told, I've told this story and you know this, but one of the first Bible studies book Bible studies I ever did and this is now probably 17, 18 years ago was Henry Blackabee's experiencing God Right Were we in that together?

Speaker 2: 4:30

Well, maybe not. I think you you had done it and told me about it and I was like I got to do that and I went and did it, which is par for the course.

Speaker 1: 4:37

Oh, no, well, it had a book in it. I knew you didn't like books. Nobody was a workbook, it was. It wasn't just a reader, right? So today, 18 years later, what I've distilled that book down to is if you're looking to get closer to God, stop inviting him into my life, go see where he's at work and go there. Yeah, so I did. I was being loyal, right. The book Henry said find God. So I went on a quest to find my God and I found him at feed the need. I found him at the coat drive. I found him at toys. For you know, on the mission trips, right, right, go to go to here, go to Mexico, where do you want to go? So, yeah, that was I mean and I'm smiling now because I haven't thought about this this is like SAV, remember our friend SAV.

Speaker 1: 5:28

This is just feeding my soul right now, because I need this. I need to remember those times, because it was simpler.

Speaker 1: 5:35

Yeah, the truth is it's a simpler walk when you're like, but you know hey guys, let's go pick you know a corn and bring it to Jersey City and hand it out to people. Yeah, I love that. Yeah, it's like let's see, I guess in the truck, got the back clean and down, I can have room for the stuff. Water for the guys off to Jersey City. Smile at the people, hand a few years of corn Right. Oh yeah, life is easier.

Speaker 2: 5:59

Yeah, and this journey is, and yet and yet, and it does get complex, and you know going through the, you know the transformation, you know this process of transformation, this journey of transformation. Right, yeah, this life journey and the valleys are such an important part of that. It reminds me, literally this morning I was reading a post by a dear friend, our dear friend, bud Jackson, and who's you know, facing some health concerns. And I'm reading the post and I was like, oh my gosh, it's like he's in my head and heart. It was just so beautiful. And can I read you just a piece of it? Of course.

Speaker 2: 6:40

He says, as I go to rest tonight, I feel compelled to express a wonderful, enriching reality that, by means of faith, can be known, felt and lived out in those who've come to know, trust and follow Jeshua Amashia. And he goes on and he says you know, god has proven himself faithful to us time and time again, through thick and thin, in failures and in victories, in good times and in bad, when we faced medical crises with our children and personally protecting us, providing for us, never in excess. But he's met our felt needs day by day. And he goes on and on about this, as Bud does so beautifully. I mean, he's just a, he's an incredible writer, but he says this we learned of him theologically and have come to know him relationally. We've come to understand just how well he knows us. It's a beautiful and truly wonderful thing to have the kind of relationship with the divine King of Kings and Lord of Lords that allows us to enter boldly into his presence and know with absolute confidence that we can be completely transparent with one who knows us, knows our future, will never renege in any way on his promises and will remain faithful because he cannot deny himself. So I mean, it's just so amazing.

Speaker 2: 8:08

And he, he goes on to talk about something that that we've talked about recently and and you know, even in our victorious together group that you know he goes. He says I have all that I need as I facing uncertainty in some situations, and he says I'm just, I'm at peace, I have all that I need. I sleep tonight with so many unanswered questions and not a few very scary possibilities, but I have absolute peace, right, because he's the shepherd and I'm the sheep. He just you know, he knows and I have all that I need, and so, but I just felt like that what he wrote was such a beautiful Summary of what you're talking about, hmm, that that you know this journey through the mountaintops and the valleys, experiencing him and getting to know him and he us. And this, this sort of beautiful Choreographed dance of a relationship, this love story with Jesus.

Speaker 1: 9:11

Wow, I wasn't ready for that. There's so many nuggets in there. First of all, I Don't mean to be silly, but I've never heard the word after Yeshua. It sounds like something I would get at a Mediterranean restaurant, right? Or Japanese, japanese.

Speaker 2: 9:24

Yeah, like Bob a gunush and.

Speaker 1: 9:27

So I'm sorry that grab me, but yeah, but we learned of him Theologically, became to know him relationally Holy cow. Yes, it's my life.

Speaker 2: 9:37

That's our lives. It's the gospel, it's the gospel.

Speaker 1: 9:44

Wow.

Speaker 2: 9:45

And and so I say all that to say like, yes, it's so complex and yet so simple and it's a simple faith. And I love how he says, but by you know, he talks, but talks about by means of faith. In other words, it's not our faith, right, there it is. That does it. It's just through faith that all of that comes to be right. And he chose his words very carefully, I know, I know but and he does that, and he's he said he words Smith's so beautifully. He's very careful in that way and it's very meaningful in that way.

Speaker 1: 10:18

Well, I, I know why that those words sang to your heart because bud just gave you permission to embrace your sheepness. Yep, right, my sheepitude, right. That really that's we talked about it, a couple of episodes, and yeah, and I responded.

Speaker 2: 10:33

I said, oh my gosh, right, like, not only am I in prayer with you and Mandy, but man, am I right there with you, like my heart. That's exactly where my heart is and has been for the last you know, weeks, months, right, this, this journey over the, this, this year really, and and Psalm 23, as I've said, the last few recordings, like it's just taken new meaning, it's taken root in my heart To be able to rest in knowing that he is the shepherd, he's our protector, our provider and I've all that I need. So, you know, in the midst of uncertainty and our victorious together group right, we met Thursday night and it's we're. It's amazing what God has done, how he's brought us together at this time and all five of us, all five of us sit there facing Storms, storms, wrecking balls and battles and massive amounts of uncertainty in our lives in one form, shape or another right. And it's no coincidence, it's no coincidence, no so I believe that.

Speaker 2: 11:41

So what do you do? What do you do?

Speaker 1: 11:44

You have a battle plan.

Speaker 2: 11:46

You make a plan, because that's what we do. We're planners, right.

Speaker 2: 11:49

But, but and and it's the, the battle plan is so practical and yet so spiritual and Biblical, because I think our patience, you know, are waiting on the Lord to move is not a hunker down, you know, dig a hole, climb into it and and and wait Right. There's certainly an aspect of being still, but it's an active waiting, it's an active patience. And so, you know, as we join God at work, as we wrestle, as we, you know, make decisions and and you know, and and and make a plan, and I think you know these battle plans I mean there is all kinds of content out there on battle, battle plans and sure, and we haven't really done it, you know we haven't. I mean, truth be told, we don't, we haven't really done it, but there's, I'm thinking, of our.

Speaker 1: 12:52

We live it.

Speaker 2: 12:53

Yes, yes, interesting as playing like we haven't taken the class Correct, but they're out there.

Speaker 1: 13:00

The classes and the workshops are out there. I've got to grab a couple of things you said. They're so great. First of all, you said the word simple faith. It's a simple faith, it's a complex world. Amen, okay, so it's a simple faith, complex world. We had either an episode in the first 50 or a conversation about simple, not easy.

Speaker 1: 13:19

Yes right, and that's what we live. Mm-hmm, I'm not trying to Over, yeah, complexify. No, I'm not trying to make things harder in my life. Yeah, I need a simple faith. I need to know he's got it, yeah, and not me, yep, because I go through a lot of my days waking up going I got this, yeah, and it's a lie. It's a lie, and I usually don't lie right.

Speaker 1: 13:47

But there I am, starting my day thinking what would I tell you what I do? I wake up, okay, this morning I had a chance to do my devotional in In half-sleep, and it was perfect because my brain hadn't clicked onto my list yet. Mm-hmm, right, I wasn't going. There's 13, 13, 13 things to do at once, mm-hmm. In any case, I wanted to grab on to that. I also wanted to say that we are actually going to talk about battle plans, where it's actually what we agreed to talk about this morning.

Speaker 1: 14:16

But I've got a mark men phase one experience weekend coming up. A Week from now I'll be there, and it is a time that we are used to the enemy being very active. Not that he's quiet any day, but generally he tends to try to get our attention and distract me and and turn me. He knows my weaknesses, he knows my sins and they are more prevalent now. They just I do two of these a year, really, yeah, tops. And and the two or three weeks leading up to these weekends are just a slog a a season of fighting and anxiety and stress and pain, and it's happening a minute, yeah. So a battle plan would be really appropriate right.

Speaker 2: 15:02

So what's the purpose of a battle plan? Why do you need one? I mean, if you could sum all that up like why would somebody, and when would somebody, need a battle plan For me?

Speaker 1: 15:13

if I don't have a goal, I'll never get there. So I need the battle plan to say these are the steps I'm taking. If this is a real fight and I believe it is then I'm going to put these things into effect and I need brothers around me to do it.

Speaker 2: 15:29

So I see it two ways right. I see the sort of like prescriptive or preventative battle plan right. Like we should always have a battle plan. We should always have a battle plan so that when the battle comes we're standing on solid ground. Right, there's just the battle plan we have for life in the midst of the complexity. Then there's okay, the crap has hit the fan and I need a battle plan for this, for this particular battle, right. So like, maybe it's a war plan and then a battle plan, right.

Speaker 1: 16:08

Sure, there's the overarching strategy. Yes, and also I think and I wasn't really prepared for that question, but now that I've had 30 seconds, I'm thinking that having the plan allows me to go on the offensive.

Speaker 2: 16:20

Yes, it brings the fight to our enemy.

Speaker 1: 16:22

That's, and for me that is so huge psychologically because I need that. Yeah, I'm not a good counterpuncher. Yes right, I'm not no neither.

Speaker 2: 16:34

So, that's why it works for me and I find it difficult to go on the offensive because I just I lead with my heart. I lead with my heart, so I'm emotional, you know, these are the things like it's very hard for me to get there, which is why I need people in my foxhole who are saying, hey, okay, take all the emotion out of that right now and focus. And that's what it starts with by defining the battle.

Speaker 1: 17:04

Right, and I need to say this you know how much I have studied military history and war strategy and things like that. It's just fun for me. Done it through the course of several campaigns in history and the greatest generals of all time, the greatest battle plan developers in the world, didn't win every battle. Yeah Right, they often won the wars, right. So I just want to say that there are going to be victories and defeats in this. I want to have realistic expectations of the plan. Telling your brothers and having accountability will allow them to pour into me. You will pour into me if I say, hey, I'm making a right and you're like whoa time. Either there's a yield, there a stopper, you might want to go left. I trust you guys to do that. The V2G gang will help me. It's not just about accountability having you around me, which is important but celebrating victories, learning from defeats, keeping that plan active and current is as important as anything else I do. Yeah.

Speaker 2: 18:07

So shout out to Justin Kamp, who we've talked a lot about gather ministries wire devotional for men flag messages, all of these resources. If you're not checking out his resources, you really should, and we would strongly encourage that, and with his wife, jennifer, as well. There are all kinds of resources.

Speaker 1: 18:27

Absolutely, and, by the way, the book rescue is an absolute must read for men in community.

Speaker 2: 18:33

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 18:33

You're in an authentic community. Get the book rescue, yeah.

Speaker 2: 18:36

Now, because Mark and I are a, we like to make lists and check the boxes, we're going to give you the seven steps. Right, here's the seven. I mean I really think we should go there Like we try to avoid it, but let's just be who we are in Christ and list seven practical steps today and we can peel the onion in any step we want to in the next 15 minutes.

Speaker 1: 18:56

Perfect, fair enough, fair enough.

Speaker 2: 18:58

So step one I already mentioned, and that is define the battle, Right, right, define the battle.

Speaker 1: 19:03

What are you?

Speaker 2: 19:04

trying to win.

Speaker 1: 19:06

Yeah, what is it? What's the goal?

Speaker 2: 19:08

What is, yeah, or what is it you're trying to finally overcome, right? Is it a sin battle? Is it a relational battle?

Speaker 1: 19:16

Right, it's finance spiritual, physical, mental right. What's going on?

Speaker 2: 19:21

Define it.

Speaker 1: 19:22

And, by the way, it's probably one of each of those. You could distill your list down to where you say right.

Speaker 2: 19:28

So what you're saying is there could be like 12 different battles, right? Well, pick one.

Speaker 1: 19:33

Right, I think picking one is really key. Pick one, you know what, and men, you know what it is.

Speaker 2: 19:38

And Justin would say it's absolutely critical to, as you're creating your battle plan, to write it out, to be specific, to be explicit and resist the temptation to put it off. Do it later, it's not that important, you know whatever it is.

Speaker 1: 19:59

Those are lies.

Speaker 2: 19:59

Yeah, so make it explicit, specific, practical. Write it out. So define the battle. What is the problem you'd like to finally overcome? Yep, one, one down, one down. Step two Define victory. So what does victory look like? I?

Speaker 3: 20:19

love that.

Speaker 2: 20:19

Bro, that is like man, oh that just like washes over me and scares the daylights out of me, because that's kind of where the rubber meets the road. I mean, once you define, it's like you know, and sometimes it's I shouldn't say easy, but simple. But the scary part is it might seem like an utter impossibility.

Speaker 1: 20:43

And we allow that For me, the enemy starts working on me immediately when I set that goal. Yeah, you're not going to do that.

Speaker 2: 20:50

There's no way. That's impossible. You won't tell your wife that that's not right. Yeah Right, you can't say that to your coworkers, right, right, you'll never save that much money, or what would happen if, if you got that, if you had victory, then what Right?

Speaker 1: 21:01

Yeah, then what? You can't run that triathlon?

Speaker 2: 21:04

Or it'll only last a moment, you'll have momentary victory, but then oh no yeah.

Speaker 1: 21:13

No, it's not permanent. It's not permanent victory.

Speaker 2: 21:15

It's not. You're not really winning the battle, right.

Speaker 1: 21:18

I'll give you this one, but the next one? Right, that was my devil voice.

Speaker 2: 21:23

Yeah, that was scary, thank you.

Speaker 1: 21:27

By the way, at work, one of the things I started doing a few years ago and I must have read it somewhere, because, just because we always go into sales pursuits asking what the success looked like yeah, what's that look like? Right, how are we and it's part of my banging on people's heads If you don't set a target, you'll never hit it.

Speaker 2: 21:50

Yep, yeah, and I don't do well without targets. I'm like what am I?

Speaker 1: 21:55

working towards. It's got to be something and I know for me it's because I'm at the stage of my career where I'm not into self-preservation and job security. Those aren't key goals of mine, right.

Speaker 2: 22:04

So camp there for a second Pun intended, justin, sorry, bad dad joke. I've been in this series of bad dad jokes, yeah. Speaking of which, what do you call a fake spaghetti? What An impasta? Leave that in, chris. No, that's gold. That's gold. Ok, wait. Getting back to the battle plan, so as we step forward, it's always an adventure with signs Exactly.

Speaker 1: 22:34

So my family says defining the victory.

Speaker 2: 22:38

Here's the biggest obstacle to me defining the victory. When I finally do think about what is it that I ultimately want, the obstacle is I rarely feel worthy of the victory. I am my own worst enemy. I am the biggest obstacle there my own self-worth or value or whatever it's like.

Speaker 1: 23:09

I don't deserve that Right and that's just a lie from the enemy, absolutely, and it's born from for me not trusting a big God to do big things Right. Yep, I know that may sound overly simple, but I often don't ask for big things or set big goals because I don't trust my big God.

Speaker 2: 23:31

Shout out Bob Goff dream big. You know you dream big and I'm like I can't do this. I can dream big for others. I can dream big for others, man. I can cast big vision and get after it and even, by God's grace, galvanize the people to go achieve it. But for me, oh, totally different story. Get it All right. Step three lay of the land.

Speaker 1: 23:58

Right, what's it look like on your playing field?

Speaker 2: 24:01

Yeah, what are the factors? What are the external factors contributing to the problem? Right, that that needs to be overcome. What's happening? What is happening in our midst? What are the circumstances? What are all the layers? What are all the factors? Write it down, because that's big talk about spaghetti. That is just a messy, sticky ball of spaghetti like overcooked. Try to pull it apart and it's just break, gone up. Get clear what are the factors, what are the circumstances?

Speaker 1: 24:30

And I give you an example. If you have an addictive personality, one of the external factors could be you drink. There's a liquor store on every corner Right. There's access to it. If you have a porn issue and you have any digital Wi-Fi connectivity in your life, there's access to the thing that hurts you. Sure, and just keep going. Yeah, those are practical external factors that are there. The temptation is in front of you. In many cases that are roadblocks, but the key is for me don't let that pothole. You know we're thinking, we talk foxholes, but this journey we're on has a road full of roadblocks and yield signs and stop signs, and a lot of them are just born from fear from the enemy.

Speaker 2: 25:17

Yeah, or job, career, business, you know related, right, there's relational aspects at work. There's relational aspects outside of work. There's family, our family needs, cares, wants, you know, desires, needs, whatever there's. There's, you know, practical business aspects. There's leadership aspects. There's spiritual components. There's, you know, values, alignment, there's, you know, all these different things that need to be thought of and really wrestled through, right. So, lay of the land, quattro, so quattro, step four, points of weakness, points of weakness what are the aspects of your lifestyle, right, that contribute to the problem, the problem? So yeah, this just requires self reflection.

Speaker 1: 26:15

I was just going to say it requires time in the mirror, yep. So or or for me, for me with you.

Speaker 2: 26:23

It requires some of you, you being honest with me and vice versa, and we've been getting a lot of that, thank God. It's not hurtful, right? It's just because it does come across as love, but it is. It's edgy though.

Speaker 1: 26:35

It is. It challenges, sure, the strength of the relationship.

Speaker 2: 26:39

Yes, and again, the foxhole, the, whatever that group is, you know, your, your that trusted group, you know, victorious together. You know others, band of brothers, you know. And even another aspect, like if you're a business leader, do you have? You know, if you're a CEO and it's lonely like the curse of the CEO loneliness, and if you don't have a group of trusted CEOs, and if you're a Christian CEO or a pastor, right, remember we talked a lot about this.

Speaker 1: 27:13

Yes, yes, was any right? Did you write a book?

Speaker 2: 27:16

Well, so, not not so much related to that, I mean, but he was talking about the, the aspects, I mean that's. What we talked about was the, the aspects of, you know, loneliness at the top, whether it be in church, leadership, business leadership, wherever, wherever it may be right, that's right the things that are taboo, you can't talk about because you look, you know, weak or you can't lead in.

Speaker 2: 27:38

That right Like how authentic can you, can you be? Well, you better have a foxhole. You better have a group of trusted people that you can hear from and and it a lot of it comes back to the points of weakness. What do I need to own here? What are the aspects of my life, my leadership or lack thereof, whether it be my family, a ministry, business team, my kids? What is it I need that? I need to know where I need to grow and develop.

Speaker 1: 28:14

Absolutely. By the way, it reminds me of talking to Pastor Nathan from Southridge when I came back from my P one in 2011. And I was like you got to go, you need to go do this. I was. You know our friendship had had some years in it at that point and I felt compelled and I remember him being like no, no, and it took me years to understand why he couldn't do that, why you couldn't expose that in that environment or other environments for pastors to have that type of moment, but I was flying out of my P one right Talking about mountaintop.

Speaker 2: 28:51

But that what this makes me think about is that there's two things right, like for Rob, you know, kruver, he was like, ah listen, I've done every retreat under the sun. No, no, no, no. This is not a retreat Right, and you know, for others it's oh no, that's way too vulnerable or transparent. Or you know, which is why Mark Mann has weekends just for pastors who get to go together. And, you know, leave their pastor hat at the door, but have that common, you know, role in ministry. That is, you know, significant.

Speaker 1: 29:26

Right, but they they each have very similar external factors they do, impacting their battle plan. Absolutely Got it.

Speaker 2: 29:34

Okay, um, all right, five Step. Five is the plan of attack. So here you go, now we're, now, we're strategizing, right, these are the strategies. So how will you either counter or minimize or eliminate the external factors and the contributing aspects of your lifestyle, so both the lay of the land and the points of weakness? So how are you going to do it? What are the strategies? What's it look like? List it out.

Speaker 1: 30:02

Write it down. Write it down and show it to someone. Yep, really, absolutely. Get an editor, yeah, humble yourself. Yeah, write down your plan. Leave it double spaced, really. Yeah, now the cool. These are the practical things I do.

Speaker 2: 30:15

The thing about the plan of attack is that's where I typically go. So when it comes to a plan, a battle plan, I'm like, okay, what's the plan of attack? I get right into strategy mode, because that's who I am Right Like, okay, let's just start strategizing without doing the first four steps, and so you know that's. That's again another pitfall, which is why this is so helpful to go step by step. It's like no, no, no, no, no, you know the steps before inform the strategies.

Speaker 1: 30:44

Yeah, I admit this is so making me think of Lynch Eoni and widget. Yes, right, because you and I jump right into I, you know, and E I'm galvanizing.

Speaker 2: 30:55

I'm landing the plane, wait a minute.

Speaker 1: 30:57

We need the wonder and invention guys right or the discernment.

Speaker 2: 31:00

They're going. No, no, no, no, no, don't do that so fast, Wait a minute.

Speaker 1: 31:04

And therein lies your, your personal editor. You're, you are one of those people in my life where I say this is how I'm feeling and you will tell me the ball's truth, or this is what I think.

Speaker 2: 31:13

I should do. And I'm like, let's just be still for a bit. Yeah, or I love this I have one of my mentors, marty, who's like well, what have you been hearing from God? And I'm like no for everything. That question just like twists my and it stops you. It does. And I'm like thank you, slow down, pray, Listen.

Speaker 1: 31:37

I know you're stop strategizing. You're really looking forward to going away. Yeah, and I'm. I'm imagining you walking on your beach alone in the morning doing what Marty said, so remember that when you're walking.

Speaker 2: 31:49

Well, it's so, it's so funny.

Speaker 2: 31:51

So text Marty, we've got this dog and puppy right. And so this morning I'm having coffee with Christina and I'm like, um, hey, quick question, Because we're in puppyhood, still right. We're, like you know, months into this and my morning routine has been totally upended as a result of this, because I'm just trying to care well, not just for the puppy but for my wife, because once somebody's up, that's it, that's it, and so now it requires all this stuff. So my morning routine, so I bring, but so I say to her hey, um, you know, this trip we're taking, which is a working trip, Like I'm going to be working, but the gift is the morning time, right To like my routine, my time with God being still um, because it's just got to be structured.

Speaker 2: 32:41

And I say, like, what is this going to look like for us? Because I am going to be getting up, you know, sub six o'clock to go do the thing that I do, which is sit in the darkness with Jesus on the beach, you know, for upwards of an hour or more, um, as I wait the sunrise, like that is just life giving. And I need to do that to hear from him. And he's she's like that's awesome, Just take him with you. And I'm like no, no, no, no, no, no, no, I don't think, wait a minute, I saw it differently. Can we talk about this?

Speaker 1: 33:20

So anyway, um, yeah, it's a, you know may have a little uh surprise, so I need a battle plan I have to the problem I'd like to finally overcome. I started the beginning. All right, that's very practical. Thank you for bringing it back to the battle plan.

Speaker 2: 33:35

Yes, all right, so you have the strategies right. The plan of attack. The team quit yes, step six sources of strength said yes, how are you going to stay connected to God and community? So I just touched on this right. Yes, how are you going to stay connected? What's your source of strength? Because once you have the strategies, boy, the guys like you and me just go. I got this and that right and my power through and go. Okay, now that God's shown us the strategies, I'll take it here.

Speaker 1: 34:11

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 34:12

Right and so again, hence the time on the beach we are not saying that you, you, sir, are not capable, you are not learned, you are not prepared, you are not strong enough, you are not successful. You are Yep Listeners, you are all of those things I am telling you. Bring all those gifts, bring somebody alongside you, bring two men alongside you as you do this. Your sources of strength are the Bible, right the word, but it's also men around you. It's men with common interests and goals around you. Yeah, that, those will fortify you and sustain you when the enemy gets extra busy. It's happening in my life, to me now heading into the phase one experience.

Speaker 2: 34:56

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 34:57

And I can't get enough of V2G and band of brothers right now. Yeah.

Speaker 2: 35:01

It's so interesting that this is step six because really it could be step one, right, Step pre. This is like pre, like embryonic God abide in me and then get started with the battle, right To even be able to define the battle and that, like we kind of assume that this is all bathed in prayer. But it's worth saying that before you even get started with the battle plan. It's like bringing this to the foot of the cross is so critical, Absolutely. But then in step six, I think it's there. It's step six because of where it lands right in the plan, which is after the strategies. It's just we can get back to our own strength, but it's John 15, five. He's the vine, we're the branches. Abiding in him, staying connected right to him and to our, the people in our Foxhole, is so critical. Last step, step seven.

Speaker 1: 35:51

Proverbs 1717. What is that? A friend is always loyal and a brother is born to help in time of need.

Speaker 2: 35:58

Yeah, Brothers and arms. Step seven brothers and arms, right or sisters and arms. Brothers or sisters and arms. Whom are you going to tell about the plan? Keep them updated as to both the victories and the defeats. Who are you going to invite in for support? Prayer support, right Sounding board support, emotional support, relational support, practicals, whatever it might look like. Financial support, whatever, Absolutely Right. Who are you going to tell? Who are you going to bring in to the mix?

Speaker 1: 36:35

Who are those trusted people? I need to talk about defeats for a minute. I'm going to bring up two war movies. You'll know one but not the other. One is Patton with George C Scott and the other is Hamburger Hill. Both are great Each one. There are things that happen in those movies that will remind men. If you have a heart to understand battle, you want to be on the winning side. Patton had one of his many repeatable phrases was he would always tell his superiors who in this case was usually Omar Bradley or Dwight Eisenhower that he hated to pay for the same ground twice. Right.

Speaker 1: 37:12

He said I don't step back. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. I might pivot, I might come around the side, but I don't go backwards. I'm not paying for the. My men aren't going to die again for this ground. Wow, one Number two in Hamburger Hill. It was called that because of the meat grinder, these guys who were fighting in the Vietnam War and they were told you have to get to the top of this hill. This group gets to the top of that hill and they spent the next month every morning waking up and getting their asses kicked going up this hill. And they called it Hamburger Hill because of what was left after that was over. But they kept trying to pay for that ground. And I'm here to tell you those analogies I'm bringing to you is, if you're surrounding yourself with people you trust brothers and sisters in arms, and talking about your defeats in the faith journey, you will have the same battle over and over and over. For me, it's very rare that you claim victory, and it's victory for life over something.

Speaker 1: 38:17

It just comes back around life circumstances. A complex world we're talking about makes things happen. So I'm just saying, practically, be prepared. There are some victories. You will celebrate that In some time. After that, two months later, you'll be talking to the same brother about can you believe? I'm back here. You know, recidivism in an addictive personality and other things like that make you pay for the same ground again. That said, it doesn't have to be that way no it doesn't, but it doesn't, it is in my life often. Yeah it often happens.

Speaker 2: 38:50

I mean, I don't. We see victories, you know, we see them both. You see the victories and the defeats. It could be, and so I love that. And you know what, like, I'm choosing To be patent and draw the line in the sand and say I refuse to pay for that again.

Speaker 1: 39:10

Like, and that's what we all pray for. Absolutely this is I'm never gonna have a drink back there, right, right and plenty of people, by God's grace, do that, do that.

Speaker 2: 39:22

And and there's a battle plan, right again, I think a lot of it is, you know, on my own strength. You know we're going to be destined for failure if we try to do this. That we know. That we know, if we don't have the battle plan and we just decide we're gonna do this on our own strength, you're pretty much destined for failure, right, it just doesn't work. No, and so You've got, you know the the likelihood of success it's just exponentially higher, right with a battle plan, and that's why we're talking about it.

Speaker 1: 40:01

And there's the seven, justin, seven steps are are essential. The most important part for me that I've learned is the. I got this. I can do this alone. I can cave up.

Speaker 1: 40:15

You know, episode three, way back then and get this done. It's a lie, I'm, I'm, I'm said it now three or four times in this episode alone and I'm gonna give voice to that soon To a group of men and and talk about some of the lies and truths I've learned in my faith journey and doing this alone is not possible. Yeah, that's not a maybe, it's. You need brothers in your foxhole, you need your authentic community. Whatever it's called for you and I. It's called things like victorious together and marked men and band of brothers and For.

Speaker 2: 40:49

Haynes and his gang in the barn.

Speaker 1: 40:51

Right yeah, they got theirs arm brothers and our brothers down in Florida with with Brian, brian, yeah right, oh yeah, priority.

Speaker 2: 40:59

One Fight camp, right a fight club, rather. I mean tons right, tons of resources. There's no excuses. Exactly not be connected to do it one of these communities.

Speaker 1: 41:10

This is One of the more practical, valuable episodes we've we've ever done in terms of helping men. I agree.

Speaker 2: 41:17

Yeah, maybe we do it more, unless we hear from listeners that that was, that was just a waste of time, but we don't think it was. Well, this was fun and I just love the practical nature of it, as I know you do, right, yeah, give me seven steps to follow. Beautiful, even if I only get five. Right, I can't wait to go home and and review this with my wife, as we talk about the dog.

Speaker 1: 41:41

I can't wait to hear that story either. Oh man, Well, if you, if you enjoyed this, if you like our podcast, please, you know, first of all make sure that you're sharing with folks that you can. If you're interested in supporting our podcast, please consider that as well, Prayerfully. It's a blessing to do this with you, bro.

Speaker 2: 41:59

Well, same here. Love you, man, and thank you for listening. Appreciate all of you and we'll see where God continues to bring this. You know, meager offering right Of the two pennies that we we give to God Peace.

Speaker 3: 42:17

This one hits close to home for me. The last year of my life has been extremely challenging, the most challenging I have ever experienced. But because I have made a purposeful effort to lean into the God I have experienced on the mountaintops and I continue to trust in his plans and his timing. I have come to know him in the valley and he is good.

Speaker 3: 42:43

I can't say that going through this process without the men in my foxhole would have been impossible, because we all know that God can do what he chooses to do, but I believe authentic relationships are part of his plan, and so he uses them to teach us and guide us, correct us, encourage us and challenge us. It becomes a powerful and dynamic tool to help us create and execute our battle plans. Ultimately, his love and power are magnified in and through us as we all glorify the one true Commander-in-Chief. Lord, please continue to use this podcast to impact the lives of all who listen. I ask that you would bring hope and healing to each and every one of them, Lord. Meet them right where they are and reveal yourself to them like only you can do. In Jesus' name, amen.

Speaker 2: 44:04

Drop us a line with feedback, questions, topic requests. Who knows, maybe you'll be a guest on our future episode. In the meantime, prepare to move, embrace discomfort and just be you.