Chasing My Rainbows

Posted on March 29, 2026 by eternalpioneer

Why would anyone go chasing rainbows? Because there’s a pot of gold at the end, of course! For the miners in the 1849 Gold Rush, they literally risked their lives to get rich quick. Obviously, this is a metaphor for pursuing an idea that promises great reward, even if it seems like a fantasy. We’ve heard about the miners who lost it all, but some did strike gold! This why so many pioneers risked it all to chase their rainbow… the chance to change their lives forever!

That’s the Way Love Goes

In the late 1970’s, Willie Nelson put out an album with a song called “That’s the Way Love Goes.” The album, “To Lefty from Willie,” was a compilation of songs from a country western singer named Lefty Frizzell. It was one of my favorite albums, and as a guitar player, I learned many songs from it. My roommate and I would jam on his harmonica and my guitar for hours singing Waylon and Willie songs.

In the song, “That’s the Way Love Goes,” the opening verse says, “I’ve been throwin’ horseshoes over my left shoulder. I’ve spent all my life, lookin’ for that four leaf clover. Yet you run with me, chasing my rainbows. Honey, I love you too, and that’s the way love goes.”

That Elusive Four Leaf Clover

Chasing rainbows and that elusive four leaf clover seems like foolishness to many, but to a dreamer, it is his clarion call. These clovers and rainbows are far out endeavors that others can’t imagine. They could be solid dreams like becoming an astronaut or a pilot. Most pilots are the only ones among their peers who ever thought of flying an airplane, much less going into space.

Four leaf clovers could also be flights of fancy that may or may not pan out. Like driving to Hollywood to become an actor, only to end up broke. The point is, you tried.

See “Doomed to Sameness: The Agony of Not Trying”

How Willie Saved my Blind Date

The evening was not going well. A friend of mine from work set me up to go out with a daughter of the girl he was dating. Her name was Lisa. I showed up drunk, and we went to dinner, only I didn’t have enough money to pay for it. By the time we got to my house, my roommate was out on the back porch with a nice fire. He told me to grab my guitar and play some outlaw country. Lisa was standing behind me, frowning, and I knew my blind date was totally blown, so I picked the first notes of Willie’s song. When I got to “yet you run with me, chasing my rainbows, Honey, I love you too, and that’s the way love goes.”“ I looked back and Lisa was smiling! I guess Willie saved my blind date. The rest of the story is history.

To read this episode in full, go to the chapter “The Way Love Goes” in my book, From Woodstock to Eternity.

Let Caution Triumph Over Glory?

Posted on March 21, 2026 by eternalpioneer

When is it prudent to let caution triumph over glory? Or to put it another way, when is it OK to go for glory in spite of the cautions?

Proverbs 27:12 says, “A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself; The simple pass on and are punished.” and

Danger on the trail — Danger on the Trail

Proverbs 14:15 “The simple believes every word, But the prudent considers well his steps.”

So, do we always have to hide ourselves to be prudent? Are we simple if we pass on and do it anyway, ? Like everything else, it depends on the situation, and of course, hearing from God. In my post, 7 Qualities of a Pioneer, I talk about the way a pioneer approaches this issue.

Book excerpt From Woodstock To Eternity,

In “From Woodstock to Eternity,” Dustin Morgan approaches the issue from the mindset of a hippie pot dealer.

Many conflicting emotions hit Morgan at once. The thrill of being involved in a new level of pot dealing is quickly clouded by a dose of reality that the stakes are higher now. The sweet success of dealing has always had that twinge of “what happens if I get caught?” And, the bigger the volume, the bigger the twinge.

Do I really want to get in this deep? He ponders it for a second. The conclusion is inevitable. He’ll always wonder what would have happened if he doesn’t. The next level is always a blind leap. You’ll never know until you try. The question is, do you have the guts to try, or is caution going to triumph over glory?

“You bet, brother. Let’s do it.”

8 Steps for a Prudent Man to Consider about Caution when Seeking Glory:

Always weigh known cautions against the potential rewards. If freezing rain and snow are glazing the roads, don’t go to the store for soda pop and chips. If you know the neighborhood is a high crime area, don’t let your single daughter get an apartment there because it is cheap.
Cautions may or may not happen as advertised. Many pioneers made it out West in spite of the Indians, rattlesnakes and weather. Most people who fly make it safely, while those who refuse to fly firmly believe they will crash.
Too much emphasis on caution can result in fear ruling your life. A life ruled by fear never reaches its full potential.
Too much emphasis on glory can result in bad things happening. A life of constantly ignoring cautions can lead to destruction. Morgan’s insistence upon pursuing the drug dealing lifestyle landed him in jail, and almost took away his freedom for a very long time.
Sometimes the situation requires us to disregard all caution, because the cause is so desperate. A mother will lay down her life for her child. A soldier in combat must face enemy fire in order to defeat them.
Known cautions may be indicators of unknown consequences. Morgan got away with many of his drug runs, and thought he had beat the caution of getting caught. However, the caution not to do it was an indicator that there were other, unseen dangers: Deteriorating character, increased drug use due to increased money, a distorted view of the world based on his temporary prosperity. This leads to the next point:
Sometimes we can’t identify what it is we are cautious about. This is called a “check” in the spirit. You know you shouldn’t do it, you just don’t know why.
We should always check with the Lord and pray for direction, no matter what the decision is.

Doomed to Sameness: The Agony of Not Trying

Posted on March 21, 2026 by eternalpioneer

What Does it Mean to be Doomed to Sameness?

Are you doomed to sameness? What an odd question, but to some, not knowing what is out there is no big deal. They are not curious, they have no goal to pursue, and they don’t have the drive to pursue it. They are content with what they have and have resigned themselves to staying that way to the end.

To others, this is an intolerable state of affairs. Staying the way you are is tantamount to being doomed to stay the same forever. They may be content for a while, but sooner or later, they get a spark, a crazy idea. If that idea is successful, they will enter a new realm, and the rest of their life will be vastly different from what they know now.

The possibilities eat away at them, the fantasies of all they could be consume them. Then someone or something says, “Maybe you shouldn’t do that. You know this could happen or that could happen.” Hmmmmm. Could this be true? They muddle this over for a minute then realize, “If I listen to this, I’ll suffer the agony of not trying.”

See: The 7 Qualities of a Pioneer and Let Caution Triumph Over Glory?

The Seed Has Sprouted

But it’s too late. The seed has sprouted, and it is growing. “Not try, you say? Curb your tongue! Away with such a fellow! To the executioners!” By the time you’re at this point, the pain of not knowing what would have happened is far worse than the pain of any bad consequences for trying.

Limitations Are Like Chains

“It isn’t enough just to have a dream and work hard to fulfill it. The pioneer is willing to leave behind all the known quantities of his present reality because he sees them as limitations. And, those limitations are like chains to him. He might as well be in leg irons in a dungeon with one little window where he can watch the world outside change and grow while he is forced to tolerate an eternal hell of sameness.

When he sees an opportunity that will enable him to break free of those limitations and latch onto an enterprise with untold possibilities, he has to take it. He is compelled. He will not be able to live with himself if he does not at least give it his best shot. It doesn’t matter that some people will die, others will suffer shipwreck, still more will become discouraged and turn back. He never believes it will happen to him.

The previous is a book excerpt about this mindset of a True Pioneer in From Woodstock To Eternity,

7 Qualities of a Pioneer

Posted on March 8, 2026 by eternalpioneer

The Pioneer Spirit is essential to having an exciting life, but what qualities make up that spirit? Here are 7 Qualities of a Pioneer that are shared by all who have this gift. I guess you can be productive and successful without being particularly daring, but all of us share at least some of these qualities, as they are part of the human makeup. For those who have all these and more, keep on truckin’. If you don’t, let these motivate you to get up and do what you have wanted to do all along.

From Woodstock to Eternity!

A Pioneer Dares to Dream

It may sound trite, but even the Bible says, “without a vision the people perish” Proverbs 29:18. Motivational speakers, network marketers, visionaries, preachers, everyone says you need a dream to pursue. Life has dealt some people so many disappointing blows that they feel they cannot dream again, but don’t let the past win out over your future. “Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead.” Philippians 3:13

Pioneers are Willing to Leave their Old Life Behind

This is a deal killer for many. They don’t want to leave family, or friends, or what they are familiar with to take the next step. But think of Abraham – he left everything in his old land of Ur to follow God’s promise. For the Christian, it’s more than a new job, or the chance for a promotion – it’s believing you have heard the will of God and you are willing to follow it, no matter the cost.

A Pioneer is Compelled to Try

Since the pioneer has dreams and a lust for adventure, he always wonders what is out there that he hasn’t discovered yet. If a particular challenge presents itself, he envisions what “success” would look like and realizes he may not be able to fathom where life could take him. Then, the possibilities become the prize, and he cannot go through life not knowing what he could have had if he didn’t at least try. He is compelled to try, or he will be miserable the rest of his life wondering what would have happened… What could have been.

A Pioneer is not Content to Remain the Same

Sameness is a disease, a torture to the pioneer spirit. While he understands the logic of paying dues, building a foundation and a reputation, once he has done that at one level, he must break out and pursue another level. The adventure is not necessarily at the end of the rainbow, it is in the pursuit of the rainbow. The experience of moving onward and upward is the adventure.

A Pioneer sees Present Limitations as Hindrances to Future Opportunities

What some people may consider to be reasonable to take into account, a pioneer sees as an excuse to not take the chance. Rather than accepting limitations as constructive or rational, he looks at them as hurdles that are meant to be jumped. The phrase, “Son, we all have to know our limitations” is not in his vocabulary.

A Pioneer Knows the Risk

Far from being naive, or simple minded in his pursuits, the pioneer knows full well that his attempts may fail.

To a cautious person, that is enough to make them content to stay where they are. To a pioneer, it is the price of admission to a glorious undertaking. Torpedoes? What torpedoes?

The Great Idea

My third book, The Great Idea, applies these qualities of a true pioneer to a great adventurer who crossed the Atlantic with his wife and eight children in 1638, only eighteen years after the Mayflower. This ancestor of mine was one of 20,000 with fire in their hearts to seek life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. This is The Great Idea of all mankind.

The Heart of a True Pioneer

Featured

Posted on March 8, 2026 by eternalpioneer

From Woodstock to Eternity Book Excerpt: Free Look Inside!

“This is the heart of a true pioneer. It isn’t enough just to have a dream and work hard to fulfill it. The pioneer is willing to leave behind all the known quantities of his present reality because he sees them as limitations. And, those limitations are like chains to him. He might as well be in leg irons in a dungeon with one little window where he can watch the world outside change and grow while he is forced to tolerate in an eternal hell of sameness.

The Great Idea

Launch Date

As of this post, I am not finished with The Great Idea, but I expect to have a launch date by the summer of 2026. I hope you will be looking for it… I will post updates.

Next: 7 Qualities of a Pioneer