Evan Temple is not an idiot. I've never met him, but I know that you don't get where he's at in life being an idiot.

I see some of the stuff that the fellas do on WPS where, for example, Evan is playing the role of "idiot". Sometimes it takes a smarter man to pretend to be stupid convincingly.

Chris Kyle pointed out in his book that part of the struggle a warrior/protector has is not being able to leave the fight and 'turn it off'. When a certain type of person is tuned and created to protect, it's hard not to be "on" all the time. Chris said that it wasn't that he thought a terrorist was around every corner. The larger struggle was that, during times when he should have been enjoying his kids and wife, he was thinking about his buddies off still in the mess fighting. The struggle was that he felt the job wasn't "done" and he had a hard time relaxing.

Jesus says, "In this life we will have trouble. But take heart. I have overcome the world." This means a few things for Warrior Poets.

1. The fight is never over.
2. A man trusting in Christ can rest; therefore
3. Failing to rest in Christ is a sin...and it doesn't bear the image of Christ for our wives and kids and communities.

The Gospel says that not only did Jesus die to forgive my past and present and future sins, but His death purchased for me the Spirit of God so that I might repent and sin less.

There's a lot of bad stuff out there. And it won't be fixed until Jesus comes back or we go to see Him. So there's never a time when "the fight" is over for us until we look our Warrior King eyeball to "burning" eyeball (see the Revelation).

But if I am to bear the Image of Christ to my wife, and to my community and to my church and to the world, then I need to Trust in Christ that the Battle is His, and He who watches over Israel never slumbers nor sleeps. That Christ is ruling and reigning until all enemies are put under His feet as a footstool and the least enemy, death, is defeated.

So trusting God means that I recognize that there is a "time for everything under the sun". I need to laugh at Evan. Even if he's "faking it" to make me laugh. I need to smile and rejoice and tell jokes when I am with my wife. Because the Battle is the Lord's. I need to carry a sword in one hand and build a wall of Hope with the other. Can I really smile and laugh an trust that I "need only be silent, and the Lord will fight for me" (Ex. 14:14)?

Evan Temple, you don't know me. And it's unlikely that you will on this side of Heaven. But I want to thank you for acting like a doofus and sharing it with the world. I am sure that takes more courage than I'll ever have. But I appreciate you as the gift of God's joy and Peace in the middle of a troubling world. If only for a moment.

Thank you, Jesus, for laughter. And the Hope that not only allows me to laugh, but gives me the Spirit to create Laughter in me, in the middle of the storm.

Many blessings to the whole WPS staff and all the Warrior Poets out there.