“13 Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. 14 I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. 15 For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. 16 So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. 19 So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. 20 Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. 21 It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble. 22 The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. 23 But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.” (Ro 14:13–23 ESV)

Happenstance and progress on display, not conceding a point is always a nervous decision, always trembling a bit in the inner man or woman. The happenstance and progress on display is that we have attained to a level of Maturity itself incomplete but coherent and Fine Day to gallavant, fine day to draw a line in the sand, fine day to point out the Agenda of a strangely unfriendly Foe. To make friends.

Apocalypse now, and ongoing eschatology or end times severe, but sublime and buoyant for the soldier’s Journey, much to mint from, much to mine, much to Lambast and Cohere into something Plausible and Tenacious, Tenacity Divine insofar as some Decisions, some Building Decisions, persist, last, stay the course. The course, meanwhile, that we as soldiers give thanks for each morning because another Day on earth has been allotted us.

And to that choate and coherent Lifestyle or Life Experience and Modicum of posturing, the Place where we’s at: using all High Art of dialog, of eye contact, of coherent Facial Expression and gee whiz this is nigh come to blows… we don’t ever lose sight of simply the good manners one side in the argument or confrontation does embody. And we hope those good manners are ours.

“Tell me more!” “I want details!” “Why all the suspicions?” Etc. A house in fairyland and a steed in magical-thinking land to ride. Forming Congruent mimicked Positioning in the soldier’s thought-life, a would-be enemy become Friend (it is their voice that later will warble a bit) is denuded of Agenda and preconceived, prescribed joshing around turned sinister, turned to Hate.

To draw a line in the sand is never to spill the beans so much as to cry some dry tears a bit, that some Encounters, some gladsome embraces and pats on the back… we emerge only an hour later to intuit amidst our departure and solo prayer time, that some rattlesnake of a man or woman is really Trying to upset the cage, the cart of apples, the inner sanctum. Break! We refused to break, but also did err in the Embrace, perhaps. The… was it patronizing to them, dismissive of their manliness and womanliness?

Christian non-negotiables, these really endear unto the youth-become-man or -woman. That we stay apart from those gaggle of the in-crowd who are buzzing about a party or sinful indulgence. That we acknowledge Christ even when Mocked for His Name. That we be Convicted by the foe-turned-friend, of our high castle and our posturing and our “just perfectly executed” conceits.

Strange ways that support networks, the nine-one-one call is placed (that being the Psalm of I love the law of the Lord number one-nineteen in the rearview reversed mirror: somewhere the Law of God, of Society, has gone memorial and nothing more but rearview) and the nine-one-one call is placed and legions step up to the plate, to offer Christian Healing prayer and ministries. Psalm forty six: the Lord is a fortress for those who take refuge in Him. And twenty-three: yea though I walk through the valley of death I shall fear no evil. It does well to memorize Psalms… but that, too, is just as pertinent the soldier unawares who opens the bible to discover not many but One Psalm.

And Everything we do, fright factor and panicked broken sleep tossing and turning: delete every record of this man’s, this woman’s day’s work! Erase the emails, whether for good import or ill! Our castle in the clouds is just so Christian and supple, that we lean in on our certainties and creed. We lean, and tip-toe, and balance on a pinnacle that leaves so much outside of plain Evangelism, in the realm of vague inabilities to draw contrast or have a level-headed response. What is kosher in this situation? What is stretching things too thin? And yet, Christ be glorified, we toy with that foe-turned-friend’s request for information, without Giving In. We do not Accept the Suggestion. We are not Suggestible. We indeed envision so much, I could go this way or that, and we believe in Judgment, that we will be judged for our Decisions, for Concrete yes’s or no’s.