As a kid, I remember times when something became difficult and I wanted to quit. My dad would say to me, “No one likes a quitter!” which is all I needed to get back to the job at hand and finish it. That was one of the few good lessons I learned growing up.

The Marine Corps definitely inspired me to never give up. Decades later, I still refuse to leave a job unfinished. There were times early in my tour in Vietnam when the heat, humidity, and weight of all my gear made me want to just drop to the ground and quit. But I also knew being left behind was not a good option.

Recently, we saw what many, myself included, call an Easter Miracle. Against all odds, our great military rescued a downed pilot deep in enemy territory. Say what you will about President Donald Trump, but he backed this seemingly impossible mission to completion. Who else would have done that?

Do you think Joe Biden would have — the man who kept checking his watch when the caskets of 13 service members were brought home from Afghanistan? Jimmy Carter would have begged the ayatollah for our pilot after he was captured, tortured, and paraded before Iranian cameras. Barack Obama may have loaded up more pallets of cash to ransom him, or maybe trade more high-level terrorists from Guantanamo.

Please do not think I am giving Trump all of the credit for the pilot’s rescue. That honor goes to our incredible military warfighters. Since Trump returned to office, recruitment numbers have soared because men and women who love this country can now serve without all of the DEI garbage. Every tool at our disposal was used to get our pilot back. The fact that it occurred on Easter Sunday just shows how the prayers of millions of Americans were answered!

As a nation, we have not done a very good job of training our children to do the hard things. We want our children to have a better life than we did. I know my wife and I did. Growing up for both of us was hard, but work ethic, character, and integrity are important lessons to learn early on.

Maybe if we were more careful about those we elect to public office, we would have better role models than past generations. I hope that is changing.

I recently watched a movie called “A Great Awakening.” If you read my articles regularly, you know I have been praying for the next Great Awakening for nearly 20 years now. The movie shows the relationship between evangelist George Whitefield and Benjamin Franklin — one a fervent Christian, the other an avowed deist. The time setting is during the Continental Congress as the states tried to draft a constitution that everyone could agree on.

After four weeks of bitter fighting, George Washington, who presided over the convention, went to Franklin in frustration and sought his help. Franklin turned the attention of the representatives to the One whom they sought during the darkest hours of the Revolutionary War. He asked if they thought they could succeed if they did not seek God’s favor, wisdom, and direction. It changed everything and a Constitutional Republic was established.

It seems history is repeating itself with our current Congress locked in endless fighting and name-calling, accomplishing nothing and neglecting the people who elected them to office. Maybe it is time for another Benjamin Franklin to rise up and speak to this Congress. Do we even have such a man?

While history does not tell us, but the movie implies it, I have always felt Benjamin Franklin had an encounter with the Savior. His words to the assembled representatives were, in my opinion, inspired by God and directed by the Holy Spirit. Let us pray history will repeat itself.

Semper Fidelis