No Guts No Glory

Posted on April 17, 2026 by eternalpioneer

Can You Imagine?

Can you imagine Christopher Columbus standing on the shore gazing out at the endless Atlantic Ocean? At the time, everyone believed the earth was flat, and if you sailed out far enough, you would drop off the edge into some kind of abyss. But Columbus had doubts about this theory, and it seemed a bit bizzare to him.

What would the edge of the world look like? Would it be one continuous waterfall with the sea spilling over the edge? Wouldn’t that drain the ocean? What if there was no edge? Then the water would stay where it is. He may have looked at the moon and saw how round it was. Maybe the earth was round, too. That idea sparked a dream in Columbus that would change the world forever.

The Dream Drives the Guts

Once he had that dream, a fire was lit in his soul, and the guts to pull it off were a just a byproduct. This brings up a vital point… the dream drives the guts. Without a vision to strive for, there is nothing to fight for. That same vision drove Joseph Loomis in my book, The Great Idea.

Dreams, Guts and Glory in The Great Idea

The Great Idea has plenty of dreams, guts and glory. Columbus had discovered the New World in 1492, but that world was still new and intimidating a hundred years later. England didn’t settle a colony until Jamestown in 1607, and later, Plymouth in 1620. These first settlers were intrepid pioneers, and their dreams and guts inspired thousands more to make the trip across the Atlantic. Joseph Loomis was one of them, and his dream of freedom gave him the guts to leave his known existence for an unknown land and take his wife and eight children with him.

See “7 Qualities of a Pioneer”

Dreams, Guts and Glory Today

Sadly, not all of us can discover the New World or fly around the moon, but dreams, guts and glory are still with us today. They are a part of the human makeup. Here are a few examples:

The Dream

The dream does not have to be earth-shaking, but it should be life changing for you. One day you read an article or see something on TV and you say, “That is really cool. I could do that.” You might be a factory worker and get the idea to be a paramedic, or look up in the sky and want to be a pilot. If you have the guts, your life will be completely different in five years.

The Guts

The guts are what it takes to achieve the dream. You have to fight for it. This usually entails activities you don’t want to do. Going back to school, getting certification, getting up early, moving to another city. It takes guts to get out of your comfort zone, but if your dream is strong enough, you will do whatever it takes… and you will not quit!

The Glory

I once had a t-shirt for black diamond slopes at a ski resort that said, “No Guts No Glory”. The glory in this case would simply be making it to the bottom without compound fractures. The glory in any endeavor is coming out on the other side, looking back and saying “I made it!.” There is nothing more satisfying than having a dream, applying the guts to get it, and realizing you are in a new world.

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

Invulnerability: “It won’t happen to me!”

Posted on June 7, 2021 by eternalpioneer

Do you have a sense of vulnerability or invulnerability? To be vulnerable is to feel open and defenseless. It may be a fear that someone is out to get you, circumstances are against you, or life in general is against you. Some people only feel vulnerable in certain situations, while others feel vulnerable all the time. On the flip side, Invulnerability means “not vulnerable.” Those who believe they are invulnerable don’t think anything can hurt them. They can do anything, go anywhere, and break all the rules. Why? Because they firmly believe, “It won’t happen to me.” This attitude can be good or bad…

Definitions of Invulnerability

Invulnerability has two definitions, with the first one logically leading to the second.

Incapable of being wounded, hurt, or damaged.
The false belief that one is somehow safeguarded from the dangers and misfortunes that afflict other people.

Invulnerability by Choice: Risk and Reward

Sometimes, a sense of invulnerability draws the line between staying where you are, and engaging a higher level where there are many unknowns. In the counter culture novel, “From Woodstock To Eternity,” Dustin Morgan has to deal with his own version of invulnerability. When he ponders his first run to Texas, he thinks,

“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?“

Caution over glory, or glory over caution, that is the question. In order to justify the risk, we have to accept a measure of invulnerability, that is, it won’t happen to me. The early pioneers had to deal with this issue, and some never made it… however, many did, and they reaped the rewards. No Guts, No Glory

Forced Invulnerability: Combat Under Command

We recently commemorated the D-Day landings on June 6, 1944. How many of those soldiers thought they were invulnerable? What if they felt extremely vulnerable and wanted to go back… could they? No. They were under orders to attack, and they had no choice. Although, later in life many reflected on how they felt as young soldiers and said, “I thought I could do anything. I felt invincible, like it would never happen to me.” We all know the outcome. When the need is drastic, the risks are great, and those who meet the call are the ones who make it happen.

Hazardous Invulnerability

In aviation, invulnerability is listed as one of the “5 Bad Attitudes” that contribute to airplane crashes. Many people believe that accidents happen to others, but never to them. They know accidents can happen, and they know that anyone can be affected however they never really feel or believe that they will be personally involved. Pilots who think this way are more likely to take chances and increase risk. Aviation Instructors Handbook 8-17.

For pilots, this could mean neglecting flight planning, refusal to check all the variables for that flight, and maybe even ignoring weather reports. They may try to fly outside the limits of what the plane can do, such as putting it into a roll when it is not made for such maneuvers. One that gets a lot of pilots is called “scud running,” where a pilot will try to circumvent Instrument conditions by flying under and around clouds just by reference to ground features. No bueno.

Practical Invulnerability

This aspect of Invulnerability also applies to everyday living. While there are times when we need to go “into the unknown,” so to speak, most of the time we need to count the cost. Those who make decisions thinking it won’t happen to them reject basic precautions. They don’t use seat belts, they drive drunk or get themselves into situations they have no business being in. This is not to live in a state of fear. rather, to be fearlessly reasonable. Like Dustin Morgan said,

People spend their whole lives trying to keep bad stuff from happening. They starve themselves and jog five miles a day, trying to stay ‘healthy’, then fall down dead from a heart attack. They turn down opportunities to see the world because they’re afraid of flying, then get run over by a Mack truck while they’re looking the other way. Maybe I’m stupid or careless, but I just refuse to let fear keep me from experiencing all that life has to offer.”

Rites of Passage

Posted on October 8, 2016 by eternalpioneer

Before and After: How a Rite of Passage Imparts a Permanent Change

In the movie, The Bourne Supremacy, Jason Bourne’s boss, Conklin, encourages him before Bourne goes into a building to carry out his first assignment – kill a Russian politician. He has been trained and brainwashed to be an assassin for the CIA, and now is his first test. Conklin urges him on with the words, “see you on the other side.”

The fact that there is “another side” means by implication that there is a barrier of some sort that must be crossed, or gone through. In Bourne’s case, it was the physical barrier of shooting another person, as well as the emotional barrier of committing the act. Conklin knew that once Jason had crossed that emotional barrier, he would be a different person because of it… he could do it again and again.

Although this may be a grisly way to make the point, this scenario perfectly illustrates a vital part of everyone’s life. The Rite of Passage. But just because it’s called a passage does not mean everyone goes through it. Only those who take up the challenge and summon the courage actually come out “on the other side.”

It starts out in our youth. It could be a schoolyard wrestling match, or joining the military. Once you’ve done it, you know you can do more. It could be a one time mission or years of study in a college program, but then one day, POW! A diploma and job offers.

In my article, “The Heart of a Pioneer” I try to articulate the inner desires and motives that drive someone to take the plunge, so to speak. There are compounded benefits, along with multiplied risks. But whether you succeed or fail, there is one benefit no one can ever take away – you did it! You went through the gauntlet and you survived, and that very experience has left an indelible mark. It has changed you, and you are no longer the same. As a matter of fact, now that you

know you can do it, you may go for it again, and again, and again until you get it right.

There’s nothing wrong with refusing the Rite of Passage while others go on. Nothing bad will happen to you, and it may happen to them. But you will experience what I call “The Agony of Not Trying.” You will simply stay the same, but you will never taste the delicious honor of victory. To a pioneer, even defeat contains a trace of victory. Why? Because he did it – he went for it – he came out “on the other side” – and he has left sameness behind.

Pioneers: Leaving It All Behind

Posted on August 1, 2015 by eternalpioneer

The Mark of a Pioneer: Forsaking the known for the unknown

The pioneer is willing to leave behind all known quantities of his present reality because he

From Woodstock To Eternity

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.

From Woodstock to Eternity excerpt from the chapter “How the West Was Won”

The mark of a Pioneer is what separates successful people from unsuccessful people. Many work in mundane situations their whole life and never attempt to change it. Like factory workers who get so used to their job that they can’t imagine doing anything else. A Pioneer would feel bound and limited in an environment like this, and would make every attempt to escape.

Bakery Plant Line Workers

Sometimes, we are forced by circumstances to leave our present reality. Recently, a major plant in our town closed, and many of the workers took the opportunity to go back to Junior College to learn a skill. They were forced to leave their “known reality” of the guaranteed work and go in a direction they had never dreamed of. After they became nurses and technicians, they looked back on their time in the plant as a distant memory of a routine existence. They had changed their lives.

Many get caught up in this mentality, and don’t have the foresight or the courage to step out “into the unknown”, but a Pioneer will take the challenge with glee. My son worked

Welding Shop

odd jobs in high school and got a welding certificate at the local college. For him, that was all he could see, and thought the best he could do was open a welding shop. A friend of the family convinced him that the only way to get ahead in the world was to get a Bachelor’s Degree.

He was hesitant at first, because his known reality was only welding. It was a limitation to him, but he took the challenge and left it behind. He launched into a Construction Engineering program. Now, doors are opening up to him everywhere, and he will enter a life far beyond a sheet metal welding shop.

Treasure in Heaven

The same is true of a journey into Eternity. When we are confronted with the Gospel message and the Christian Life, it requires a turning from our know existence. Just like Jesus said, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.” Matthew 8:22

Following Christ is a leap into the unknown, a departure from the way we have been living in the past to a new life according to heavenly ways. We are supposed to become a “new creation in Christ” 2 Corinthians 5:17. Many are eager to do this, and some are not so sure.

For those who make the transition from the old life to the new life – who make it “to the other side”, I have a title

ETERNAL PIONEERS

Pioneers: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Posted on December 18, 2014 by eternalpioneer

How The 7 Qualities of a Pioneer can be used for good or for bad

Take into account that good visions, which produce noble actions, which result in grandiose achievements, can be switched to another track simply by a change in perspective. It all depends on the “lens” you see life through, and that lens is molded and developed in each of us by the influences in our lives. For Morgan, his lens became tainted, his perspective redirected, his exuberant pioneer spirit deformed until it took on a much different mold.

The wheels and pulleys of his life began to form the “lens” of his soul, which would take

Book excerpt – click image for free sample

his lust for adventure and put beads and flowers on it….

There weren’t any wagon trains anymore, but the West was still out there, and it still beckoned with the promise of wild exploits and untold opportunities.

The Good

Columbus

Christopher Columbus has got to rank as one of the top Pioneers of all time.

He dared to dream against all the conventional wisdom of the day. Based on the idea that the world was round instead of flat, he reasoned that he could end up in the east by going west.
He was willing to leave the known civilized world behind to discover unknown lands
Columbus the Pioneer
He was not content to remain in the Old Country with his old life, transporting goods around the Mediterranean Sea
He saw the doubters and nay-sayers as limitations that would prevent him from realizing the future opportunities.
He knew the risks – the odds were great that he and his whole crew would die at sea.
He refused to let caution and fear triumph over his dreams of glory. What he found changed the world forever, and resulted in the Land of the Free and the Home of the
Space Pioneers

Brave.

In the Twentieth and Twenty First Centuries, that same Pioneer Spirit has taken us into the frontier of space, reaping untold riches and advancements for mankind.

The Bad

Highway Pioneers

Looking at these two images conjures up a variety of emotions. Most people probably recoil in irritation at the thought of being stuck in a traffic jam on a freeway, navigating the flow of high speed traffic, or breathing smog.

Wagon Pioneers

On the other hand, how would you rather go to work – at 70 mph in an air conditioned car, or 20 miles a day in a covered wagon?

In this sense, the rewards of the Pioneer Spirit can be mixed. We have undisputed benefits from the efforts of those who went before us, but not without some side effects.

The Ugly

Adolph Hitler had a dream – It just wasn’t seen through the right “lens”. There is such a

Deranged Pioneer

thing as evil. There is right and wrong.

He was willing to do whatever he needed to do to fulfill that dream. He was determined to eliminate all limitations and opposition. He knew the risks, but he went ahead anyway. What has always puzzled me is how he was willing to sacrifice his own countrymen and ultimately take his own life when it didn’t work out.