What was it that caused people who spent any length of time with James to know that he was born a warrior? Five things immediately come to mind:

1. He showed up as a warrior. He talked the part, acted the part, and looked the part – down to his underwear. Carrots turned to guns. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches turned to tanks. He learned to make all associated noises and could mouth the difference between a bazooka and a sawed-off shotgun. He loved to commando crawl which led me to call him “Kamondo,” term in my tribe for a little person, as a play on words. Even through high school he predominantly wore BDU (battle dress uniforms) with a million pockets. He always carried a pocket-sized copy of Oregon’s Administrative Statutes in one knee pocket and a complete First Aid kit in the other.

2. He voraciously consumed and enacted military information. He loved books, cartoons, games, magazines, shows, and conversations that had to do with the military. Grandpa Paul is an airplane buff and James loves talking to him about planes. Most of the games on his gaming system are battle airplanes through the decades. Even his play was militaristic in nature. His favorite thing to do with his best friend was wrestle hard. In the picture below he is doing a Fireman’s Carry with a buddy who is significantly larger than he is, just for kicks, a few days before his departure.

3. He produced copious products. My husband taught the boys to use power tools at an early age. James also took woodworking and metals at school. He loved crafting weapons and tools. Even before he could work on the power tools, he would whittle for hours making wooden knives or swords. He had a formidable collection. He used up my printer paper and glue drawing, printing, or crafting impressive models. When he sat quietly at church, he had his notebook where he drew amazing weaponry. For these projects he loved only the best paper and my best mechanical pencils. He treated every project as a masterpiece no matter how it turned out. He learned to swipe my yarn or leather pieces and wrap the handles of his swords beautifully. When he was about 7, my friend Marcia bought him his own rim of paper for his birthday. To him, it was one of the best gifts he ever got.

4. He identified with them. James loved everything about going out on police ride-alongs. He loved that he had been trained on how to respond in case an officer got injured while pulling someone over. Once we were about to pull onto the highway when a sheriff’s cruiser sped by. He smiled and quietly said, “There’s my boys.”

5. He invested. James has a great collection of pocketknives and airsoft guns. Almost all the money he earned or was gifted went to that passion. He loves mountain climbing and rock climbing. Funds towards that were also considered money well spent.

CTA:

1. As you envision the YOU that you desire to be in 90 days, share which one of these points YOU already do well.
2. Share one YOU will pick and start pour into. Make yourself a personal list of 10 practical ways that will look like in this 90 day period.
3. Think of and share one way that I didn’t bring up that YOU could walk the walk.
4. Share this with 3 additional people. Have a conversation on your journey with two people. Pray for and/or encourage 1 person in their transformation journey.