Happy 250th Independence Day! Habitude 3 of the Founding Founders: Mettle Maker #504 | #7H250

News and Updates:

  • Member referral program. Distance learners who get a friend to sign will earn a feat in the program — and you’ll both get a free shirt. Just tell them to put your name in the “referred by” slot on the application. Members in the RVA club, bring a friend and the same goes for you!

METTLE MAKER #504: America’s 25oth Independence Day and Habitude 3 of the Founding Fathers

Join us in cultivating the 7 Habitudes of the Founding Fathers! Step into their mindset and embrace their ideals. Embody the view that personal self-government is a prerequisite for political self-government. It’s the the perfect way to celebrate the 250th Anniversary of the Signing of the Declaration of Independence and honor the great men who made it a reality. Post your experiences with this exercise using the hashtag #7H250.

Habitude 3: Read Paper Books

Reading is reading, right?  Wrong. 

When you read on a phone or a tablet, there are infinite distractions.  Email and text alerts are popping up. The internet is right there, begging you take one of a trillion easy off-ramps to look up a related idea, research a word, or investigate an idea sparked by the text.  What happens is that for every 15 minutes you spend reading on phone or tablet you spend another 20 minutes dismissing alerts, reading a text message, googling something related to the text, or browsing the internet.  Browsing the internet is just what it sounds like: browsing.  Browsing random articles on Wikipedia or skimming articles on Wordpress is only slightly better than an hour spent browsing shop windows at the shopping mall.  What’s the point?  What did you do?  What did you really learn, internalize, or achieve?

If you were going to study for an exam, would you open up a folding chair on a street corner in Times Square, or attempt to spread out a blanket on a Mumbai beach?  Of course not.  But that’s what you’re doing when you try to read while cradling in your hand the nexus of all human information and virtual activity.

The struggle to maintain digital sobriety is real and important (watch the video above). Paper books are a great place to start. They were good enough for the founding fathers and they’re good enough for us.  In fact, reading a paper book is more than good enough – it’s superior to the alternatives.  When it comes to focus, absorption, and real learning, paper books are superior to glowing, backlit, energy-sucking, distraction machines.

Reading a book should just be reading a book. 

When selecting your reading material, consider Lindy’s Law, which states that the longer something has been extant, the longer we can expect to be extant.  The mobile home you bought five years ago will probably be here five years from now.  The Great Pyramid has been around for thousands of years and will likely be around for thousands more.  Things that endure have proven endurance.  With great books, mortality rate goes down with time, not up.  People have been reading The Odyssey for two millennia, and they’ll be reading it for another two. It’s still sufficiently relevant that they just made a movie about it.   You can’t go wrong reading the Holy Bible, Shakespeare, Plato, Aristotle, or Cato.  But that article you read at Slate, Boing Boing or the Daily Wire is not going to be around this time next year, must less in 500 years.  Nor will it internalize any ideas in you or foster any behavioral changes. 

Read classics or choose modern books of great quality.  Try reading something from Thomas Jefferson’s recommended list of books for a private library.  When searching for a fun, lighthearted read, you can still practice discernment.  I’m slowly but surely working my way through everything I can find by O. Henry award-winner Edison Tesla Marshall. Presently I’m taking a break from heavy titles and reading a book for fun – Rudyard Kipling’s Kim in hardback – and it’s a perfectly lovely book.  I can practically smell the curry, saffron, and tobacco.  I swear I can hear the horse traders haggling, the cries of the street vendors, and bells of camels.  Want to read a comic book?  How about Watchmen – the only comic book on Time’s list of 100 best novels.  Or select something from Penguin’s top 100 fiction and non-fiction at the Modern Library website. 

Don’t just put on a red-white-and-blue t-shirt, wave a flag, or go to a fireworks display this weekend. Spend the remainder of the year really emulating the founding fathers.

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Sacred Reading for Sunday, 7/5/26

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Lectio Divina is an ancient way to interact with the Bible. Its four elements are reading, meditation, contemplation, and prayer. CLICK HERE for the Sunday Lectio exercise. To watch daily mass, CLICK HERE. For daily gospel reflections in your email box, SIGN UP HERE.

Or even better, go to church. The old-timers did, and it’s their steps we’re following in, right? So put on a collared shirt and saddle up.

In other news, the new t-shirts are in. If you want to make a donation to the charity, we can definitely get you one! Just click here.

Habitude 2 of the Founding Founders: Mettle Maker #503 | #7H250

News and Updates:

  • Beginner session starts on 7/1/26. If you’re in RVA, sign up here. Classes every Tues and Thurs from 6 - 7 PM at 8600 Lakefront Dr., Henrico, VA 23294.

  • Member referral program. Distance learners who get a friend to sign will earn a feat in the program — and you’ll both get a free shirt. Just tell them to put your name in the “referred by” slot on the application. Members in the RVA club, bring a friend and the same goes for you!

METTLE MAKER #503: Habitude 2 of the Founding Fathers

Join us in cultivating the 7 Habitudes of the Founding Fathers! Step into their mindset and embrace their ideals. Embody the view that personal self-government is a prerequisite for political self-government. It’s the the perfect way to celebrate the 250th Anniversary of the Signing of the Declaration of Independence and honor the great men who made it a reality. Post your experiences with this exercise using the hashtag #7H250.

Habitude 2: Morning resolution

Click the picture to read Ben Franklin’s autobiography at archive.org.

Habitude 2 flows out of, or is a continuation of, Habitude 1.  In true chicken-or-the-egg fashion, if you create your set schedule first as part of initiating Habitude 1, Habitude 2 emerges from it; but if the morning resolution comes first, it becomes the egg from which a set schedule is born.

The morning resolution is simple on the surface: decide to make a contribution to the advancement, improvement, health, or wellbeing of your family, place of employment, community, state, or nation.  Each day Franklin asked himself, “What good shall I do this day?”

In order to fully comprehend the true nature of this daily interrogative, it’s necessary to understand the larger framework of his thinking.  Franklin had maintained a little book in which he kept track of his progress in the pursuit of various virtues.  Starting with the virtue of Temperance, he marched through them all, grading his daily performance on a chart – essentially tracking his progress on an 18th century spreadsheet. His little book’s motto was from Addison's Cato:

"Here will I hold. If there 's a power above us (And that there is, all nature cries aloud Thro' all her works), He must delight in virtue; And that which he delights in must be happy."

There was also another from Cicero (Franklin quoted it in Latin of course, but here is J. E. King’s translation):

“O philosophy, thou guide of life, O thou explorer of virtue and expeller of vice! One day well spent and in accordance with thy lessons is to be preferred to an eternity of error."

And then lastly:

"Length of days is in her right hand, and in her left hand riches and honour. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace." (Proverbs 3:16-18)

Franklin added,

“And conceiving God to be the fountain of wisdom, I thought it right and necessary to solicit his assistance for obtaining it ; to this end I formed the following little prayer, which was prefix'd to my tables of examination, for daily use:

‘O powerful Goodness ! bountiful Father ! merciful Guide ! Increase in me that wisdom which discovers my truest interest. Strengthen my resolutions to perform what that wisdom dictates. Accept my kind offices to thy other children as the only return in my power for thy continual favours to me’

I used also sometimes a little prayer which I took from Thomson's Poems, viz. :

‘Father of light and life, thou Good Supreme ! O teach me what is good ; teach me Thyself! Save me from folly, vanity, and vice, From every low pursuit ; and fill my soul With knowledge, conscious peace, and virtue pure ; Sacred, substantial, never-fading bliss ! ‘

What is perhaps most striking is his desire to repay what he has received from God.  “Accept my kind offices to thy other children as the only return in my power for thy continual favours to me," he says, asking God to accept the caring and kindness he pours out upon others as an offering of thanks for the blessings he has received. 

By the light of his prayerful daily routines, we can see that Franklin’s morning resolution was and is no mere daily goal.  It is not the first of a series of daily to-do items.  Nor is it an egocentric activity akin to some odious, modern, self-help exercise.  His morning resolution took the form of a rhetorical question, “What good shall I do this day?” as shorthand for a deep meditation on wisdom, discernment, and care for others.

Undertake this morning ritual each day, brothers and sisters, and set a continuous course for selfless virtue.

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Sacred Reading for 6/28/26

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Lectio Divina is an ancient way to interact with the Bible. Its four elements are reading, meditation, contemplation, and prayer. CLICK HERE for the Sunday Lectio exercise. To watch daily mass, CLICK HERE. For daily gospel reflections in your email box, SIGN UP HERE.

Or even better, go to church. The old-timers did, and it’s their steps we’re following in, right? So put on a collared shirt and saddle up.

In other news, the new t-shirts are in. If you want to make a donation to the charity, we can definitely get you one! Just click here.

Habitude 1 of the Founding Founders: Mettle Maker #502 | #7H250

News and Updates:

  • Beginner session starts on 7/1/26. If you’re in RVA, sign up here. Classes every Tues and Thurs from 6 - 7 PM at 8600 Lakefront Dr., Henrico, VA 23294.

  • Member referral program. Distance learners who get a friend to sign will earn a feat in the program — and you’ll both get a free shirt. Just tell them to put your name in the “referred by” slot on the application. Members in the RVA club, bring a friend and the same goes for you!

METTLE MAKER #502: Habitude of the Founding Fathers

Pursuing the 7 Habitudes of the Founding Fathers is a great way to acknowledge the 250th Anniversary of the Signing of the Declaration of Independence coming up in a few weeks (for the backstory see here and here). In pursuing these 7 behaviors, it is essential to begin with the understanding that the founding fathers were in all in a relentless quest for virtue -- not solely to benefit themselves, but to benefit the society as a whole. Because, for them, personal self-government was a prerequisite for political self-government.

So by all means join me in pursuing these habits. But not solely because you think it'll make you more successful, popular, wealthy, good looking, or what-have-you.  Do it because it will benefit you, your family, your state, and your nation.

If you want to follow along and share what you're up to, let's use #7h250.

Habitude 1: Set a Schedule

Set and keep a strict schedule. This was a universal on the part of all the founders.  Franklin famously said, "Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man, healthy, wealthy, and wise."  Jefferson said, "Rise at a fixed and an early hour, and go to bed at a fixed and early hour also. Sitting up late at night is injurious to the health, and not useful to the mind." According to Washington’s adopted daughter Nelly Custis-Lewis, “He always rose before the sun and remained in his library until called to breakfast..” And, like Patrick Henry, it seems he spent the final hour of the day in private prayer and reflection. “It was his custom to retire to his library at nine or ten o'clock where he remained an hour before he went to his chamber. I never witnessed his private devotions.”

“A place for everything and everything in its place”

Create time slots for exercise, projects, journaling, reading, prayer, and so on. If something happens and you miss the mark, don’t allow it to affect the other slots or one slip will derail the whole plan.

Personally, I’ve always imagined my day as a tackle box or a storage container for parts. Set aside time for certain tasks, and don’t switch slots. I always work on one of my book projects on lunch break, either writing or editing. If, for some unforeseen reason, I don’t get a lunch break, I don’t kick anything out of it’s slot later in the day. After dinner and chatting with my wife, I play guitar for 20 minutes, watch TV with my wife, and spend the last hour of the day reading. If something happens that interferes with any of those things, I just miss the one thing — I do not allow one blip to derail the plan.

I learned this from my work in the accounting field. This is the way budgets work. If you stick to budget, and you don’t rob from one area to give to another, you’ll stay on track. Let’s say you have an older car you own free and clear, so you budget $300/month in auto maintenance because you know that it costs about $3,600/year to maintain the vehicle. If you have no repair costs one month, you don’t spend the $300. You leave it in the account. That way, if you need a new alternator next month, you’ll have $600 in the account to pay for it. If you spend the money you accrued for repairs, the cascading effects will wreck the whole budget.

The same is true of time. Make a time budget and stick to it.

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Sacred Reading for 6/21/26

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Lectio Divina is an ancient way to interact with the Bible. Its four elements are reading, meditation, contemplation, and prayer. Click here for the Sunday Lectio exercise. To watch daily mass, CLICK HERE. For daily gospel reflections in your email box, SIGN UP HERE.

Or even better, go to church. The old-timers did, and it’s their steps we’re following in, right? So put on a collared shirt and saddle up.

In other news, the new t-shirts are in. If you want to make a donation to the charity, we can definitely get you one! Just click here.

7 Habitudes of the Founders: Mettle Maker #501 | #7H250

News and Updates:

  • Beginner session starts on 7/1/26. Studies show that people want to start new activities with other beginners rather than being thrown into programs with more experienced folks. So, toward that end, the in-person club here in Richmond, VA is going to a quarterly sign-up model. If you’re in RVA, sign up here. Classes every Tues and Thurs from 6 - 7 PM at 8600 Lakefront Dr., Henrico, VA 23294.

  • Member referral program. Distance learners who get a friend to sign will earn a feat in the program — and you’ll both get a free shirt. Just tell them to put your name in the “referred by” slot on the application. Members in the RVA club, bring a friend and the same goes for you!

METTLE MAKER #501: The 7 Habitudes of the Founding Fathers

As a member of the Sons of the American Revolution, it occurred to me that coming up with -- and sticking to! -- a list of 7 common behaviors of the Founding Fathers would be a great way to acknowledge the 250th Anniversary of the Signing of the Declaration of Independence coming up in a few weeks.

But in doing this, I thought it was very important — and you should agree — to begin with the understanding that the founding fathers were in all in search of virtue -- not to benefit themselves, but to benefit the society as a whole.  This is why the Declaration of Independence proclaims,

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

The Founding Fathers were far from perfect. But they were relentless in their attempts at self-improvement. Why? Because, for them, life was about the "pursuit of happiness" which they equated with excellence, virtue, and the inner peace that comes when we are living in accord with our ideals.

The Founders believed that personal self-government was a prerequisite for political self-government.

So by all means join me in pursuing this plan.  But not solely because you think it'll make you more successful, popular, wealthy, good looking, or what-have-you.  Do it because it's a good thing to do for you, for your family, for the culture, and for the future of our nation.

If you want to follow along and share what you're up to, let's use #7h250.

The Seven Habitudes of the Founding Fathers

  1. Set and keep a strict schedule. This was a universal on the part of all the founders.  Franklin famously said, "Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man, healthy, wealthy, and wise."  Jefferson said, "Rise at a fixed and an early hour, and go to bed at a fixed and early hour also. Sitting up late at night is injurious to the health, and not useful to the mind."

  2. Make a morning resolution.  Resolve to make a specific contribution to the advancement, improvement, health, or wellbeing of your family, place of employment, community, state, or nation.  Each day Franklin asked himself, "What good shall I do this day?"

  3. Read.  All of the founders were avid, lifelong readers.  Some of them read 4 hours or more each day.  Read at least one chapter in an actual, paper book each day, minimum.

  4. Walk. Jefferson advised two hours of walking each day, a half hour in the morning and the remainder later in the day, preferably while carrying a rifle.  Most of us don't have that kind of time.  Resolve to get at least the half-hour done each day and perhaps work in a two-hour walk on the weekend.  And you might not want to walk around town carrying a flintlock.  It freaks out the neighbors and, in some places, violates laws.

  5. Swing the dumbbells. Many of the founders used them, notably Ben Franklin.  Watch this video by the incomparable Ben Miller for a little history of the dumbbell and a few tidbits about Franklin.

  6. Journal.  Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, Adams, and Madison all kept journals.  Probably more founders kept journals than didn't.  If you don't already, get yourself a notebook and take a swing.

  7. Prayer and meditation. Given that Patrick Henry was, as Jefferson said, "before all in maintaining the spirit of the Revolution" we might consider from what deep well this great America drew the water with which he filled up his heart and soul.  Well, according to his grandson, P. H. Fontaine, it was Patrick Henry’s habit, "each day around sunset, to retire to his law office for an hour of prayer and meditation."  See how close you can get to that, and perhaps you too can be the spirit of a different revolution -- a revolution in your heart, in your culture, community, or wherever the Creator sees fit stir things up.

For all the details, footnotes, etc., click herehere.

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Sacred Reading for Trinity sunday 6/14/26

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Lectio Divina is an ancient way to interact with the Bible. Its four elements are reading, meditation, contemplation, and prayer. Click here for the Sunday Lectio exercise. To watch daily mass, CLICK HERE. For daily gospel reflections in your email box, SIGN UP HERE.

Or even better, go to church. The old-timers did, and it’s their steps we’re following in, right? So put on a collared shirt and get to steppin’.

In other news, the new t-shirts are in. If you want to make a donation to the charity, we can definitely get you one! Just click here.

Mission: Bothersome a.k.a. Mettle Maker #500

News and Updates:

  • Added an article to the member area on the Dragon mettle drill, the super-secret set of 8 self-defense chokes so dangerous we restrict access. Join the Campfire Crew and you can read the article today!

  • Beginner session starts on 7/1/26. Studies show that people want to start new activities with other beginners rather than being thrown into programs with more experienced folks. So, toward that end, the in-person club here in Richmond, VA is going to a quarterly sign-up model. If you’re in RVA, sign up here. Classes every Tues and Thurs from 6 - 7 PM at 8600 Lakefront Dr., Henrico, VA 23294.

  • Member referral program. Distance learners who get a friend to sign will earn a feat in the program — and you’ll both get a free shirt. Just tell them to put your name in the “referred by” slot on the application. Members in the RVA club, bring a friend and the same goes for you!

METTLE MAKER #500: Mission: bothersome?

When I was in school, everybody hated writing assignments. I did too — at first. But by the time I was in high school, I was the only one in my class who enjoyed them.

So I imagine there are people in our programs who aren’t happy when they find out that journaling is mandatory in all Heritage Arts programs.

Why?

Because, thanks to pioneers like Ira Progoff, James Pennebaker, and Kay Adams, we have over fifty years of scientific evidence supporting the effectiveness of journaling for personal growth, healing of trauma, and improvement of general mental health.  There are even physical benefits, including improved memory, reduced blood pressure, improved mood, and self-reported well-being.

Our findings are that maintaining a handwritten journal that includes notes about what you learned through your HRnT training sessions, as well as entries about other life events, shifts your mind-body-spirit self-improvement into a gear you didn’t even know you had.  It sharpens your thinking, forces you to stop from time to time and analyze what you are doing, focuses your attention, orients you in the world, and more.

The old-timers didn’t need research or modern findings to know this. They knew by experience and by example. Journaling was more the norm than the exception for our forebears — just ask famous folks like Franklin, Emerson, Thoreau, Kafka, Wilde, Shelley, Woolfe, and a thousand others.

Maybe you haven’t heard, but there’s a new and improved abomination that has come to steal away your focus, critical thinking, memory, and mood — and maybe even your job! It’s called AI. Journaling is a great way to buck the trend, save your brain, and set an example for the rest oof the planet who seem to be puffing on the AI crackpipe like nobody’s business.

We’re so sure that you’ll benefit from journaling that, instead of running away or giving up, we’re doubling down on the potentially bothersome requirement of journaling. Heads up: you’re going to start seeing guided, targeted journaling assignments show up in our weekly mettle makers

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Sacred Reading for Trinity sunday 5/31/26

Click here to sign up for daily motivational text messages!

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Lectio Divina is an ancient way to interact with the Bible. Its four elements are reading, meditation, contemplation, and prayer. Click here for the Sunday Lectio exercise. To watch daily mass, CLICK HERE. For daily gospel reflections in your email box, SIGN UP HERE.

Or even better, go to church. The old-timers did, and it’s their steps we’re following in, right? So put on a collared shirt and get to steppin’.

In other news, the new t-shirts are in. If you want to make a donation to the charity, we can definitely get you one! Just click here.

Elemental Fundamentals: Mettle Maker #499

News and Updates:

  • Added an article to the member area on the Dragon mettle drill, the super-secret set of 8 self-defense chokes so dangerous we restrict access. Join the Campfire Crew and you can read the article today!

  • Beginner session starts on 7/1/26. Studies show that people want to start new activities with other beginners rather than being thrown into programs with more experienced folks. So, toward that end, the in-person club here in Richmond, VA is going to a quarterly sign-up model. If you’re in RVA, sign up here. Classes every Tues and Thurs from 6 - 7 PM at 8600 Lakefront Dr., Henrico, VA 23294.

  • Member referral program. Distance learners who get a friend to sign will earn a feat in the program — and you’ll both get a free shirt. Just tell them to put your name in the “referred by” slot on the application. Members in the RVA club, bring a friend and the same goes for you!

METTLE MAKER #499: Elemental Fundamentals

[Note to folks without training partners: see the solo training options at the bottom of the page. ]

As crucial as sparring is, never throw novices to the wolves.  Get beginners with no fighting experience started with elemental contact drills.  This will begin their journey from “zero to hero” using methods developed by the United States Marine Corp to prepare recruits for combat during World War II.  They might not look like much on paper, but they work wonders.

They also keep beginner hands out of pockets. While more advanced folks are sparring, use these drills to start preparing bodies and minds for contact. Nobody ever learned much just by watching. 

 

Hand Wrestling

 This is the best place to start new students who have zero fighting experience.  Begin by chalking or marking off a circle on the grass between 10 – 15 feet in diameter (3 to 5 meters) or conduct the drill on a wrestling mat with a circle already marked.  Mouth guards recommended.

Two people face off in the center of the circle and join hands with fingers interlaced (or in a palm-to-palm grip if preferred), left hand to right and right hand to left.  The object is to force the other person from the circle.  No contact between parties other than the hands is allowed – no punching, kicking or wrestling allowed.    

 

Bulldogging

 After few sessions hand wrestling, those with zero experience will be ready for Bulldogging.  Two people face off in the center of the circle and bend at the waist.  Place heads side by side, right ear facing right ear.  Each person wraps right arm around neck of partner. Do not crush or squeeze – just firmly secure position.  The object is to force the other person from the circle.  No contact between parties other than the over-hooking with arms is allowed – no striking or wrestling permitted. 

 

Chest and Abdomen Thrusts (a.k.a. “Hurricane Drill”)

 Two people face off in fighting stance, hands up.  Both parties simultaneously hop into opposite stance and strike the other person’s chest with a rear palm strike just as the rear hand is becoming the forward hand.  When beginners are comfortable with this drill, strike the abdomen with the knuckle punch instead.  Encourage students not to strike any harder than their partner can tolerate – the idea is to strengthen and improve one’s friends, not to harm or demoralize.

 

Scuffling

 The next level of sparring preparation is scuffling.  Two people put in mouthguards and square off in the center of the circle.  The object is to force the other person from the circle by pushing and shoving the torso and arms only.  No shoving to the face, and no punching, kicking or striking of any kind are allowed.  Be careful not to get carried away!

Click the pic above to watch a video about the drills.

Solo training options? Gotcha covered. No, you can’t learn martial arts solo. But you can can hone your technique, learn a new technique or two, and stay somewhere close to fighting shape using some solo drills. Here are a few you might enjoy:

Want more American Rough ‘n’ Tumble goodness? Click here to sign up today for our distance learning program!

Sacred Reading for Trinity sunday 5/31/26

Click here to sign up for daily motivational text messages!

...

Click here to sign up for daily motivational text messages! ...

Lectio Divina is an ancient way to interact with the Bible. Its four elements are reading, meditation, contemplation, and prayer. Click here for the Sunday Lectio exercise. To watch daily mass, CLICK HERE. For daily gospel reflections in your email box, SIGN UP HERE.

Or even better, go to church. The old-timers did, and it’s their steps we’re following in, right? So put on a collared shirt and get to steppin’.

In other news, the new t-shirts are in. If you want to make a donation to the charity, we can definitely get you one! Just click here.

Knives for Self-Defense? Mettle Maker #498

May membership drive: three ways to win!

START A ROUGH ‘N’ TUMBLE CLUB IN YOUR TOWN. No experience necessary! We’ll give you advice, send you templates for flyers, and so on. But if you do it this month, we’ll even send you a get started box with business cards, t-shirts, a Heritage Arts flag, and a table banner for events! Email mitch@heritageartsinc.com to get started!

BRING A FRIEND, EARN A FEAT AND GET A FREE SHIRT. Distance learners: if you get a friend to sign up, you’ll earn a feat in the program and you’ll both get a free shirt. Just tell them to put your name in the “referred by” slot on the application. Members in the RVA club, bring a friend and the same goes for you!

HOMECOMING BONUS. Attention previous distance learners who had to drop out: re-start this month and you can pick up right where you left off. If you were in the program before we had bandana ranks, we’ll evaluate your progress since then, award you the appropriate bandana rank, and get you back into the program. And we’ll send you a free shirt to boot! Email mitch@heritageartsinc.com to get re-started!

METTLE MAKER #498: Knives for Self-Defense?

I enjoy watching Icy Mike and Sensei Seth. They are smart, skilled, and funny. I would say I agree with their conclusions and opinions far mare than I don’t. But Icy Mike’s recent knife video got a lot wrong.

It was tactically correct, but it was strategically wrong and morally reprehensible.

Watch the video on the right for the fun version.

Here are the full details.

  1. Court cases involving knife use for self-defense center on three main legal hurdles: deadly force classification, proportionality, and imminent threat.

  2. Courts almost always classify defensive use of a knife—even if you just wave it around! — as deadly force. This means the legal bar for justification is significantly higher than for non-lethal tools like tactical pens, flashlights, canes, pepper spray, etc.

  3. Sure, as a technical matter, you can typically only use a knife if you reasonably believe you are in immediate danger of death or great bodily harm.

  4. But that said, using a knife against an unarmed attacker who is only using fists often leads to convictions for aggravated assault or manslaughter, as the force is ruled disproportionate.

  5. The court will attempt to determine if you escalated or de-escalated the situation. If you "brought a knife to a fistfight” you may be viewed as the aggressor. That’s called “excessive force.” TLDR: you’re going to jail.

  6. Even if the use of force is ruled justified, many defendants still face criminal convictions for the weapon itself. If the knife's blade length, opening mechanism (e.g., switchblade), or concealment violates local statutes, you could be acquitted of assault but still sentenced for unlawful possession of a weapon.

  7. In states without "Stand Your Ground" laws, your failure to run away before using the knife can result in a guilty verdict, regardless of how dangerous the attacker was.

  8. Because "knife fights" are messy and evidence is often ambiguous (both parties are frequently injured), many cases end in plea bargains for lesser assault charges to avoid the risk of a murder trial. You plead guilty to a felony, then you lose your job and become mostly unemployable.

  9. Even with a "not guilty" verdict in criminal court, defendants are frequently sued in civil court, where the burden of proof is lower and "wrongful death" or "personal injury" claims can lead to massive financial judgments. Ouch.

  10. Using a knife for defense is legally equivalent to using a firearm but lacks the same "defensive tool" public perception, often making it harder to prove "reasonable" intent to a jury.

  11. Finally, and most importantly, there is the moral dimension. KILLING IS WRONG.

So use a tactical pen, flashlight, or walking stick instead.

Want more American Rough ‘n’ Tumble goodness? Click here to sign up today for our distance learning program!

Sacred Reading for pentecost sunday 5/24/26

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Lectio Divina is an ancient way to interact with the Bible. Its four elements are reading, meditation, contemplation, and prayer. CLICK HERE for the Sunday Lectio exercise. To watch daily mass, CLICK HERE. For daily gospel reflections in your email box, SIGN UP HERE.

Or even better, go to church! The old-timers did, and it’s their steps we’re following in, right?

In other news, the new t-shirts are in. If you want to make a donation to the charity, we can definitely get you one! Just click here.

Martial Tonic: Mettle Maker #497

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May membership drive: three ways to win!

START A ROUGH ‘N’ TUMBLE CLUB IN YOUR TOWN. No experience necessary! What’s the hold-up? Afraid running a club will interfere with your TikTok doom scrolling? Sign up in the distance learning program and start a club today! Make friends. Sweat. Get stronger inside and out. What’s not to love? As always, we’ll support you every step of the way. We’ll give you advice, send you templates for flyers, and so on. But if you do it this month, we’ll even send you a get started box with business cards, t-shirts, a Heritage Arts flag, and a table banner for events! Email mitch@heritageartsinc.com to get started!

BRING A FRIEND, EARN A FEAT AND GET A FREE SHIRT. Distance learners: if you get a friend to sign up, you’ll earn a feat in the program and you’ll both get a free shirt. Just tell them to put your name in the “referred by” slot on the application. Members in the RVA club, bring a friend and the same goes for you!

HOMECOMING BONUS. Attention previous distance learners who had to drop out: re-start this month and you can pick up right where you left off. If you were in the program before we had bandana ranks, we’ll evaluate your progress since then, award you the appropriate bandana rank, and get you back into the program. And we’ll send you a free shirt to boot! Email mitch@heritageartsinc.com to get re-started!

METTLE MAKER #497: martial tonic

ton·ic (TAHN-ik) An invigorating, refreshing, or restorative agent or influence: Laughter was a tonic for the dispirited team.

I work out at 5:30 AM. Sometimes I’m still a little fuzzy, and I’m not sure what I should work on. Other times I have 20 minutes of free time and I feel like I could use a pick-me-up session. This is where my “martial tonic” routine comes in handy.

I’m a little nerdy and somewhat whacko, so I use dice. Being a martial artist is about being okay with chaos, and dice add an element of randomness that can be annoying. If I roll something I don’t feel like doing, the dice just say, “Tough crap whiney-hiney. Do the things.”

But you don’t need to put up with dice that mouth off at you at 5:30 AM. You can just use the chart below and cycle through them, picking one activity from each row. Why do some of them duplicate? Because there are six face on a die, and some stuff is more important than other stuff.

What is the stuff in the chart? I hope most of this is self-explanatory. But if it isn’t, search our YouTube channel for the particulars, or Click here to sign up today for our distance learning program!

 
                 
STRIKING 100 kicks Shadowbox Heavybag 100 kicks Double-end Ball Heavybag
SCUFFLING Mobility drills Grappling grippers Throwing dummy Falls Floorbag Elastic grappling
WRESTLING Floorbag Floor work Shadow wrestling Sprawls, Get-ups, etc. Water barrel Shadow wrestling

Sacred Reading for sunday 5/17

Lectio Divina is an ancient way to interact with the Bible. Its four elements are reading, meditation, contemplation, and prayer. Click here for the Sunday Lectio exercise.

To watch daily mass, CLICK HERE.

For daily gospel reflections in your email box, SIGN UP HERE. Or even better, go to church! The old-timers did, and it’s their steps we’re following in, right?

In other news, the new t-shirts are in. If you want to make a donation to the charity, we can definitely get you one! Just click here.

17 Years Old and the Best is Yet to Come: Mettle Maker #496

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First the Announcements

Howdy Rough ‘n’ Tumblers,

Mitch here — my sabbatical is officially over. I’m back with a whole new attitude and big plans for growing this charity!

  • First ever Heritage Arts membership drive! Participate in our first ever membership drive! If you are distance learner and you get someone to sign up you’ll earn a feat in the program. Just tell them to put your name in the “referred by” slot on the application. You earn a feat and they get a free Heritage Arts t-shirt when they submit their first month of training logs.

  • New : The Campfire Crew donor area! Help support the charity and get behind-the-scenes access. Get links to the source materials that we’ve used to construct our programs. This will provide an way for folks to participate in the work of this charity on a deeper level. Plans start at just $10/month. Already a monthly donor? You get a free 1-year pass to the Campfire Crew. Then you can cancel your Donorbox subscription and join up here. If you didn’t get your coupon, email mitch@heritageartsinc.com and we’ll get you one ASAP. Already a paying member of our YouTube channel? No problem! YouTube members get a free pass too. For the price of one or two of them fancy Starbucks drinks per month, you can say that you’re doing something to preserve the wisdom of the past.

  • We are no longer livestreaming Holy Eucharist service on Sundays. After a couple of years of prayer, contemplation, and discernment, I’ve hung up my robes and joined the Catholic Church as a layperson. I am no longer a priest. For all of the details, watch this video.

METTLE MAKER #496: THE MARTIAL ART THAT MAKES YOU THINK

Yesterday, 5/9/26, was the 17th anniversary of Heritage Arts. We had our first official meeting on 5/9/09.

A lot has changed since then. And a lot hasn’t.

One of the things that has changed is your founder and president (see the short announcement above). I like to think I’ve grown and changed for the better over the years. But what hasn’t changed is this charity’s dedication to mind, body, and spirit health through martial arts, fitness, outdoor skills, and spiritual development.

A cornerstone of our program is handwritten journaling. It’s required in all of our programs. Why? Because,

“People who still write things down on paper may not be resisting technology — they're preserving a thinking process that lets the mind hear itself. In a world obsessed with digital speed, the deliberate slowness of handwriting might be the key to clearer thinking.” 1

Here’s a quote from an article at Scientific American:

“A recent study in Frontiers in Psychology monitored brain activity in students taking notes and found that those writing by hand had higher levels of electrical activity across a wide range of interconnected brain regions responsible for movement, vision, sensory processing and memory..”

I know, I know, you’re saying “But I don’t need journaling, or any other system or program, to study and learn and improve.” Sure, it’s possible. It’s possible you can make into the Olympics without coaches and sponsors.

If you haven’t signed up for our free distance learning program, do so today!

  • Improve your skills. Martial arts, fitness, outdoor skills, or all three. Your choice.

  • Develop inner peace. Connect to God, nature and universe like never before

  • Earn a rank. You can hold that gem in the treasure chest of your heart, put it on your resume, and cherish it forever.

  • Start a Heritage Club in your home town. Become a leader, make friends, and pass on what you’re learning to others — and we’ll help you do it!

  • Make friends and pen pals. Participate in our monthly Heritage Huddles via Google Meet..

  • Be a part of something bigger than yourself. We’re a federally recognized charity, remember?

Click here to sign up today for our distance learning program!

ritual matters.

Journaling is a beneficial ritual. Look at it this way. Folks aways say they’re going to do stuff that they never actually do. They say they can lose weight without a diet plan, without a coach, or drugs, or exercise, or whatever. And yet more Americans are overweight than aren’t. Folks say they don’t need church to read scripture, pray, grow stronger in Christ, volunteer, and so on. But the reality is that churchgoers pray more, read more scripture, and report being closer to God than those who don’t. People say they don’t need all kinds of things they actually do need. Rituals are, among other things, habits. Start building good habits now and thank me later.

To watch daily mass, CLICK HERE. For daily gospel reflections in your email box, SIGN UP HERE. Or even better, go to church!

In other news, the new t-shirts are in. If you want to make a donation to the charity, we can definitely get you one! Just click here.

Sabbatical: Primary Services Continue, Blog and Holy Eucharist Suspended

starting Monday, Feb. 2nd 2026, Fr. mitch is taking a sabbatical for prayer and reflection.

Physical classes in Richmond, VA will be Thursdays only. Online instruction via the distance learning program and our YouTube Channel will be continue as usual. T-shirt will be available for purchase and our daily motivational text messages will still be sent. However, to afford Fr. Mitch additional time for prayer and reflection, the blog and Holy Eucharist services are being suspended through Lent. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

In the interim, to watch daily mass, CLICK HERE. For daily gospel reflections in your email box, SIGN UP HERE.

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Those Who Prefer the Written word encouraged to avail themselves of past mettle makers.

Looking for some inspiration? Plug a key word or topic of interest into the search box on the upper right to query our vast history of mind-body-spirit fitness and martial arts content.

And, as always, rely on our YouTube channel for a wealth of martial arts, fitness, and spiritual content.

Want more guidance?

Want to train and fight like an old-timer?

Click here to sign up today for our distance learning program! In other news, the new t-shirts are in. If you want to make a donation to the charity, we can definitely get you one! Just click here.

No Space, No Stuff, No Baggage: Mettle Maker #495 and Holy Eucharist for 2/1/26

starting Monday, Feb. 2nd 2026, Fr. mitch is taking a sabbatical for prayer and reflection.

The basics of the charity — physical classes and online instruction via the YouTube Channel — will be maintained. But the blog and Holy Eucharist services are being suspended.

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Mettle maker #495: No Space, No Stuff, no baggage

No space? No equipment? No problem!

I’ve never had a gym membership — and I’ve been doing martial arts and fitness since 1986. I’ve had a home training space for years. But the heat out there in the log cabin is rudimentary, and with it getting down to single digit temps for the last week, I’ve had to “get back to basics” and train in the living room.

How do I do it? Well, this stuff seems obvious to me because I’ve done it for so long. But I understand that those of you who are just now getting into it might be struggling. So let me give you a hand!

There are plenty of things you can do to get fighting fit, even if if you have no space and no equipment. I’ve put a couple of videos here to illustrate. Lots of ideas in both, such as:

Calisthenics. They’ve been a mainstay of fitness since the Roman Empire. Here’s a link to 50 or so. Gitcha some.

Got 64 sq. ft. of floor space? Do some wrestling drills and some kicks (see below).

Any stairs? Try the stair workout in the video above/right.

If you want to get stronger, you can.

I promise.

For martial arts purposes, you do need some equipment and some training partners. You can’t get along forever with zero equipment. But you can make do pretty well for a week or two.

And here’s some incredible news: you don’t need “more stuff” to get stronger in spirit. In fact, the more baggage you let go of — the baggage of worldly wisdom — the more rich in spirit you become. For more on that subject, see the homily below.

Need more help?

Want more guidance?

Want to train and fight like an old-timer?

Click here to sign up today for our distance learning program! In other news, the new t-shirts are in. If you want to make a donation to the charity, we can definitely get you one! Just click here.

starting Monday, Feb. 2nd 2026, Fr. mitch is taking a sabbatical for prayer and reflection.

The basics of the charity, our physical classes and online support via the YouTube Channel — will be maintained. But the blog and Holy Eucharist services are being suspended.

In the interim, to watch daily mass, CLICK HERE. For daily gospel reflections in your email box, SIGN UP HERE.

Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Sunday 2/1/26 – Father Mitch

Readings: Zephaniah 2:3; 3:12-13, Psalm 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10, 1 Corinthians 1:26-31, Matthew 5:1-12a

 Matthew 5:1-12a World English Bible

 Seeing the multitudes, he went up onto the mountain. When he had sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 He opened his mouth and taught them, saying,

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.*

4 Blessed are those who mourn,

for they shall be comforted.*

5 Blessed are the gentle,

for they shall inherit the earth.†*

6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they shall be filled.

7 Blessed are the merciful,

for they shall obtain mercy.

8 Blessed are the pure in heart,

for they shall see God.

9 Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they shall be called children of God.

10 Blessed are those who have been persecuted for righteousness’ sake,

for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when people reproach you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12 Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven. 

 Zephaniah says, “seek justice, seek humility; perhaps you may be sheltered in on the day of the Lord’s anger.” Is the Lord angry today?  Hebrews in the days of Zephaniah interpreted almost every misfortune as God’s anger in response to some failure on our part.  Storms, droughts, failures in battle, every tragedy was God’s anger.  As Christians, we have a new perspective brought to us by Jesus Christ, a perspective based on love.  For us, most misfortunes, difficulties, and calamities are part and parcel of our fallen state.  We are fallen creatures in a fallen world.  The more fallen people exercise free will, making poor choices in accord with human wisdom instead of seeking God’s desire, the more discord and evil prevail.

So is God angry? Look around.  Bizarre weather patterns sweep the globe.  Evil and misfortune are everywhere.  Men are making horrific choices in accord with their imperfect, fallen cravings instead of seeking God’s desire for them.  Wars, genocides, and revolutions are raging.  There is unrest in our streets here at home.  Thousands resist the rule of law, and some officers of the law display disdain for the sanctity of human life.  Disrespect, obscenity, and callousness are the norm.  Teen suicide has hit an all-time high.  Eight million unborn die by abortion each year.  Our prisons are filled to bursting.

Is God angry?  If Zephaniah were alive today, he would certainly say so!  But as a Christian, who knows that God is love, I don’t believe that God is angry – I believe that God is disappointed.

I believe God is disappointed because the greater part of our society has lost its humility before the Lord.  The voice of the psalmist cries out, “Blessed are the poor in spirit; the kingdom of heaven is theirs.”  St. Paul reminds us of our calling, brothers and sisters.  We don’t need to be wise by human standards.  We don’t need to be political experts, scientists, or engineers.  We don’t need to be of noble birth destined for powerful thrones, or wealthy inheritors of mighty corporations.  We don’t need the muscles of Samson or the weapons of war.

We just need to be humble and seek the face of the Lord.  We need to lead others toward humility by setting an example of humility.  As St. Paul says, “God chose the weak to shame the strong” and “the lowly and despised of the world, who count for nothing…to reduce to nothing those who are something.”  Our Savior’s greatest sermon, the Sermon on the Mount, tells us that we are blessed when we are emptied out, not when we are filled up.  When we are poor in spirt – that is, free of worldly wisdom, craftiness, guile, and cunning – we stand to inherit the kingdom of heaven.  When we let go of our need for vengeance and make peace, we become God’s children.

It may seem that just seeking God’s will for us is too small a thing.  We may feel that being humble and God-fearing isn’t enough.  We may start to think that we should do more. That’s how it starts.  Soon thereafter, we’re on social media saying all sorts of nasty things or in out in the world perpetrating violence, making the world worse instead of better.

The fight is in our hearts, in works of charity, in sharing the gospel, in acts of grace, humility, peace, love, and charity.  We are not called to be successful by human standards.  We are not called to fight in earthly wars using fallen wisdom. We are called to persevere in what most people today will call wasteful, foolish, and utterly stupid – by human standards.  

Yes, we are called to greater things. In the words of the Savior, “10 Blessed are those who have been persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.  11 Blessed are you when people reproach you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12 Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven” (Mt 5:10-12).

 

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*5:3 Isaiah 57:15; 66:2

*5:4 Isaiah 61:2; 66:10,13

†5:5 or, land.

*5:5 Psalms 37:11

Answerable: Mettle Maker #494 and Holy Eucharist for 1/25/26

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Mettle maker #494: Answerable

The word “responsible” finds its origin in the Latin responsus, which means “reply.” When you are responsible you are answerable to the matter. If something for which you are responsible goes wrong, you need to be prepared to answer hard and difficult questions about what you did — questions posed by your boss, your family, your nation, your God, and so on.

When you’re responsible, you’re on the hook. And the greater the responsibility — the higher the stakes — the tougher the questions get. If you or your family are attacked by an evildoer, who’s responsible? Who’s answerable to their safety? If severe weather threatens your family’s safety, who’s responsible for keeping them warm, dry, and sheltered? If there’s no food on the table this week or no money in retirement? Whose fault is that?

Be answerable to the hard questions. Ask yourself these questions — and more:.

  • If you don’t have a training partner to practice martial arts with, how are you going to stay sharp?

  • No money for gym membership? What’s your plan for staying fit?

  • Not going to church? What’s your ethical, moral, and spiritual training plan?

Heritage Arts can help with all three of the above.

For more on this topic, see today’s homily below.

Real people being answerable to the tough questions and dealing with cards we’ve been dealt. That’s Heritage Rough ‘n’ Tumble. Want to train and fight like an old-timer? Click here to sign up today for our distance learning program! In other news, the new t-shirts are in. If you want to make a donation to the charity, we can definitely get you one! Just click here.

Holy Eucharist is LIVE on YouTube every Sunday at 10 am EASTERn. Click HERE to watch live. To view and print a copy of the program for holy Eucharist, CLICK HERE.

Homily for the Third Sunday of Ordinary Time, Sunday 1/25/26 – Father Mitch

Readings: Isaiah 8:23-9:3, Psalm 27:1, 4, 13-14, 1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 17, Matthew 4:12-23

Matthew 4:12-23 World English Bible

Now when Jesus heard that John was delivered up, he withdrew into Galilee. 13 Leaving Nazareth, he came and lived in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying,

15 “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,

toward the sea, beyond the Jordan,

Galilee of the Gentiles,

16 the people who sat in darkness saw a great light;

to those who sat in the region and shadow of death,

to them light has dawned.”*

17 From that time, Jesus began to preach, and to say, “Repent! For the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”

18 Walking by the sea of Galilee, he‡ saw two brothers: Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew, his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19 He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers for men.”

20 They immediately left their nets and followed him. 21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them. 22 They immediately left the boat and their father, and followed him.

23 Jesus went about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the Good News of the Kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness among the people. 24 The report about him went out into all Syria. They brought to him all who were sick, afflicted with various diseases and torments, possessed with demons, epileptics, and paralytics; and he healed them. 25 Great multitudes from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from beyond the Jordan followed him.

I don’t remember the exact date, but it was during the latter half of 1975.  I was 14 years old.  My father and I were watching a TV show about the plight of American prisoners of war – POWs – during the Viet Nam War.  Horrific stories of the tortures our soldiers endured at the hands of the Vietcong were all over the news and weighed heavily on all Americans.  Earlier that year, on June 17th, the famous POW and Navy pilot Commander Paul Galanti spoke at my small private school.  The date is easy to remember:  It was the 9th anniversary of the day he was shot down and taken prisoner.  At that time, he had only been home for two years after 7 years in captivity.  Cdr. Galanti's decorations include the Silver Star, two Legions of Merit, a Bronze Star, nine combat Air Medals, and two Purple Hearts.  An elder at First Presbyterian Church in Richmond, Virginia, the Cdr. Galanti’s address was shocking and inspirational. 

I recall clearly looking at my father and saying that it was silly not to just defect, tell your captors what they want to know, and partner with them.  Maybe, I argued, you could have some hope of a safe, pain-free, and happy life.  Perhaps, at some point in the future, you might be able to escape and get home.

Fortunately, my father, who had served in the military police during the Cold War, was one of the most patient men who ever lived.  He calmy explained that if you defect, your captors will never fully trust you.  They will torture you anyway.  And after they get the information they want, they still won’t release you or welcome you into their company.  In fact, having lost all respect for you, they might even treat you worse than they did in the beginning.  But even if they do treat you right – even if your plan works flawlessly – you lose your soul.  The one to whom you submit yourself becomes your master.  If you defect, you are a slave to the thing that hates you.  Even if you escape torture, your new master will still be a torturer of men. 

“You never talk,” my father said.  “Name, rank and serial number.  That’s all they get.  Ever.”

My point is that practical decisions are everywhere.  We have to make them every day.  Budget, investment, and business decisions, ballot box choices, shopping selections, holiday plans, all kinds of everyday considerations come our way. What’s the most sensible thing to do?  What’s the logical thing to do?  But our readings for today stand in opposition to the practical, the pragmatic, and the profitable.  St. Paul says in 1 Corinthians that we aren’t members of factions, and we don’t make logical arguments.  We worship Christ, and we preach Christ crucified. 

When Jesus walked along the edge of the water and called to Peter and Andrew, did they make the practical and profitable decision?  Did they worry about their boats and businesses, or wonder where their next meal was coming from?  No.  They dropped their nets and followed Jesus.  They didn’t bow down to money or to men.  They served the One True God.

Men – us among them – crucified Jesus.  When we serve men rather than Christ, we serve the torturers of Christ.  When we make logical arguments, using human reasoning to determine right from wrong, we put our foot on the path of the defector.  That’s how it starts.  Like the POW, we begin to think about how we can get out of this situation – this life! – with what we want, instead of realizing that our soul is at stake.

Listen, brothers and sisters: we are never going to get out of this concentration camp in once piece, unscathed, by trying to make peace with our captors.  We cannot get home to our Heavenly Father by making deals with liars, cheats, con-artists, crooked politicians, criminals, thugs, killers, terrorists, and psychopaths.  We cannot break the chains of our captivity to evil by making bargains with our own sins.  We are not going to avoid the tortures of this life by making deals with the devil.

Only one POW has ever escaped the concentration camp of this world alive, and that is the only begotten Son of God, Jesus Christ.  Let us worship him and him alone, and follow him to eternal life – eternal safety – in the Kingdom of Heaven.

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*4:16 Isaiah 9:1-2

‡4:18 TR reads “Jesus” instead of “he”

Sensorium Orientation: Mettle Maker #493 and Holy Eucharist for 1/18/26

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Mettle maker #493: Sensorium Orientation

Do do you know which way you’re facing? Where you’re headed? Try this exercise:

Sensorium Exercise: Go outside at night. You can also do this exercise during the day also, but you may find that the darkness makes it easier to focus on non-visual input. Stand there for awhile. Breathe deeply, smell and taste the air — breathe like you’re snoring, allowing the air to flow through your nose and throat. Which direction is a strong smell coming from? Listen for birds, dogs barking, distant traffic, and so on.. Feel the wind and note which cheek is coolest.. What landmark is straight ahead? Note a distant light, constellation, etc.. Now close your eyes tightly and turn yourself around several times, turn the other way a few times, and disorient yourself. Without opening your eyes, using just smell, sound, and the feel of the wind on your face, attempt to point yourself in the direction of the landmark you noted before you closed your eyes. When you are as certain as you can be, open your eyes. How accurate are you?

The old-timers never got lost because they oriented themselves using every faculty at their disposal. No instruments. No compasses, no GPS, no astrolabe. Just five senses. The navigation feats of Vikings, Polynesians, American Indians, Australian aborigines, and others are legendary. How are our skills? Do we practice them?

Skills take practice, and they are perishable.

The other night Verizon had a major outage. I had to run an errand and, for a brief moment, I thought, “No GPS? How do I find it? I’ve only been there a couple of times!” But I stopped and pondered for a minute: I couldn’t even remember the address of the place! What is it near? What street is it on? It took all of two minutes for me to map it out in my head and start driving. I got there no problem, but I’m sure there was a shorter way.

I am disappointed in myself because navigation and orientation are my weakest skills and, to enhance them, I’ve resolved to give up using GPS navigation several times. But I always get sucked back in by the ease of it.

So I worked the exercise above, and I will work it often to foster and ingrain it. And I resolved again to ditch the GPS unless traveling cross-country. This time I’m sticking with it!

Real people doing real stuff. That’s Heritage Rough ‘n’ Tumble. Want to train and fight like an old-timer? Click here to sign up today for our distance learning program! In other news, the new t-shirts are in. If you want to make a donation to the charity, we can definitely get you one! Just click here.

Holy Eucharist is LIVE on YouTube every Sunday at 10 am EASTERn. Click HERE to watch live. To view and print a copy of the program for holy Eucharist, CLICK HERE.

Homily for the Second Sunday of Ordinary Time, Sunday 1/18/26 – Father Mitch

Readings: Isaiah 49:3, 5-6, Psalm 40:2, 4, 7-8, 8-9, 10, 1 Corinthians 1:1-3, John 1:29-34

1 Corinthians 1:1-3 World English Bible

Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ† through the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes, 2 to the assembly of God which is at Corinth—those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called saints, with all who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place, both theirs and ours: 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

John 1:29-34 World English Bible

 The next day, he saw Jesus coming to him, and said, “Behold,§ the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who is preferred before me, for he was before me.’ 31 I didn’t know him, but for this reason I came baptizing in water, that he would be revealed to Israel.” 32 John testified, saying, “I have seen the Spirit descending like a dove out of heaven, and it remained on him. 33 I didn’t recognize him, but he who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘On whomever you will see the Spirit descending and remaining on him is he who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.”

 

 “Peace be with you” is a very common greeting in the Middle East.  The traditional Muslim greeting is salam alaykum, which is “Peace be with you” in Arabic, often shortened to just salam.  This is a very common greeting among all religions in Arabic speaking countries.  The traditional Jewish greeting is shalom, Hebrew for “peace.”  With everyone saying “peace” to one another, we might expect the Middle East to be a very peaceful place, a virtual Eden.  But to quote Patrick Henry, “Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace – but there is no peace.”  Despite the common greeting of “Peace to you” there has been very little peace in the region (or anywhere else for that matter).

In Christianity we have done something very strange by Eastern standards.  We have decided to greet one another with phrases like, “What’s up?” “How are you doing?” or “Good morning.”   We have clipped the phrase “Peace be with you” out of the everyday and elevated it to the liturgical level. 

We have made peace sacred.

The common practice among all major Christian churches of the West, the Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Orthodox, and many others, is that during worship services the priest says, “The Lord be with you” whereas only a cleric of bishop’s rank and higher will say, “Peace be with you.”  The congregation only says “Peace be with you” when encouraged to do so during the Rite of Peace.

This is because, as Christians, we have come to understand that peace is only possible through Christ.  Peace is not a substance that we can possess and share.  It is not like a tray of cookies we can gift to another, or a spray can we can use to clean and deodorize human relationships.  Man can wish peace upon another man, but there is never going to be peace because we do not possess any peace to give.  Only if we trust in Christ, cooperate with him, and let him live in us, can peace become a reality.

Our readings today bear out the unique Christian viewpoint regarding peace.  In our Gospel reaching St. John the Baptist testifies to the Holy Ghost’s descent upon Jesus, the Son of God.  St. John baptizes with water.  The Son of God baptizes us with the Holy Ghost, the true source of peace.

Our epistle reading for today is simply the opening greeting of St. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians.  From St. Paul’s greeting we can learn a great deal about how we are to think about peace – what it is, and how it works.  St. Paul refers to the members of the church in Corinth as, “those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus.” St. Paul is reminding them that, as members of the Church of Christ, only through Christ are we reconciled to God and sanctified. He adds, “who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” All good things come from God in Christ through the indwelling Holy Ghost upon whom we constantly call in prayer.  And St. Paul concludes, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”  Not peace from him and his companion Sosthenes – no no! – but rather, peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Through God alone is peace bestowed – through the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.    

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 †1:1 “Christ” means “Anointed One.”

§1:29 “Behold”, from “ἰδοὺ”, means look at, take notice, observe, see, or gaze at. It is often used as an interjection.

Silence on the Waters: Mettle Maker #492 and Holy Eucharist for 1/11/26

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Mettle maker #492: Silence on the Waters

"The great object of his life is defeated by continually resolving to do, yet doing nothing but resolve." — Samuel Taylor Coleridge (on Shakespeare’s Hamlet)

I wrote a long post for today that I have put on hold for revision and possible sharing in the future. I looked at it yesterday, and had a couple of friends look at it for me, and there was no consensus as to its value or lack thereof. This morning I looked at it again. And as I looked at it , the thought popped into my head, “Don’t you see that Jesus is standing right beside you and hears everything you think and say? You are not called to voice your thoughts and feelings. You are called to say what Jesus wants you to say.”

The more I say, the more I expose myself to the possibility of error. Less is more.

Facta non verba (again). Speaking of facts…

FACT: Over the last two years, 60 people have signed up for the Heritage Rough ‘n’ Tumble Distance Learning Program. Only 3 have sent in training logs. That’s exactly 5%. Yes, you read that right: 95% of people who register are unable to follow through on their resolutions to learn and train.

In homage to Coleridge, my message for today is a simple antimetabole:

Doing something is almost always better than doing nothing; and saying nothing is almost always better than saying something.

Do stuff.

If you are one of the 5% who wish to do things of a martial nature, the video below demonstrates something for you to do that I hope you will find worthwhile.

Want to train and fight like an old-timer? Click here to sign up today for our distance learning program! In other news, the new t-shirts are in. If you want to make a donation to the charity, we can definitely get you one! Just click here.

Holy Eucharist is LIVE on YouTube every Sunday at 10 am EASTERn. Click HERE to watch live. To view and print a copy of the program for holy Eucharist, CLICK HERE.

Homily for the Baptism of the Lord, Sunday 1/11/26 – Father Mitch

Readings: Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7, Psalm 29:1-2, 3-4, 3, 9-10, Acts 10:34-38, Matthew 3:13-17

Matthew 3:13-17 World English Bible

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan‡ to John, to be baptized by him. 14 But John would have hindered him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and you come to me?”

15 But Jesus, answering, said to him, “Allow it now, for this is the fitting way for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed him.

16 Jesus, when he was baptized, went up directly from the water: and behold, the heavens were opened to him. He saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming on him. 17 Behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

Brothers and sisters, in the book of Genesis, when the floods have calmed and the waters have receded, Noah’s dove returns to his hand (Gen 8:6-12).  This dove signals that God’s love – his Holy Ghost – rests upon a world purified by the baptismal waters of the great flood. As we sing today in Psalm 29, “ The LORD’s voice is on the waters. The God of glory thunders, even the LORD on many waters. 10 The LORD sat enthroned at the Flood.  Yes, the LORD sits as King forever. 11 The LORD will give strength to his people. The LORD will bless his people with peace.”  It is a great foreshadowing that the dove returns to Noah with an olive branch in its mouth – the symbol of peace – to signal the good news that the waters have receded.

In a similar way, the Holy Ghost descends on Jesus in the form of a dove after his baptism.  Jesus needs no purification.  But humanity does.  Can we cleanse ourselves?  Certainly not.  Therefore Jesus, the unification of God and humanity, our Savior, takes up our sins for us.  He carries our sins down into the baptismal waters to be washed away.

This complicated idea makes sense to us because we know the whole story, from Genesis to Revelation.  But John the Baptist, seeing only the tip of the iceberg, at first objects to this purification.  Jesus explains it to him by saying, “Allow it now, for this is the fitting way for us to fulfill all righteousness.”  In that moment, we can imagine that John’s mind turned to Genesis 8:20-22 and recalled the promise of God. 

Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal, and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21 The LORD smelled the pleasant aroma.  The LORD said in his heart, “I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake because the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth. I will never again strike every living thing, as I have done. 22 While the earth remains, seed time and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night will not cease.” (Gen 8:20-22)

Brothers and sisters, the momentous significance of the baptismal rite of Jesus is clear.  We celebrate today “the fulfillment of all righteousness.”  Through Jesus’ baptism, God fulfills the promise he made to humanity after the flood.  Not only fulfills the promise, but raises it to an even higher pitch, taking it to an even higher level.  Not only will God never again visit destruction upon us because of if our inherited sin, he has also sent his only begotten son into our midst to wash us free from all sin and show us the way to eternal life.   

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‡ 3:13 i.e., the Jordan River

Epiphanies and Capacities: Mettle Maker #491 and Holy Eucharist for 1/4/26

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Mettle maker #491: Epiphanies and Capacities

Don’t spend too much time on fitness. Fitness is body health and strength in support of the endeavor at which you are pursuing excellence. Runners gotta run. Lifters gotta lift. Martial artists gotta fight.

Do chores and build up work capacity in your chosen endeavor.

If you don’t do chores — cutting grass, home repairs, homesteading, working manual labor, etc. — then you’re going to need to simulate some chores by doing stuff like swinging hammers and sledges, pulling sleds, and so on. Programming a training plan for your needs is not easy. Example: In addition to martial arts, I have a passion for old-school fitness, and I also maintain the fantasy that, at age 64, there is still hope of having superior grip strength. So some of my training is a little off the mark for a pure fighter. My personal training program is not one-size-fits-all. It’s tailor-made for me.

Everybody’s different. If you need beginner fitness help, please use our Old School Total Transformation Plan. If you need coaching, submit a form here and we will help you put together a program based on old-school principles. And if you want to train and fight like an old-timer, click here to sign up today for our distance learning program!

If you are a rough ‘n’ tumbler looking to build up work capacity for fighting, see the video above or try the training sequence below. Do the work and comment. If you didn’t try either suggestion, you don’t get to comment because that would just be chin-music and chatter from the peanut gallery. Facta non verba, remember?

Fighting Capacity Drill (17 - 60 minutes)

Before you start: If you are a rough ‘n’ tumbler, every heavy bag you own should have a cup towel chained securely to it to simulate hair, a shirt, necktie, scarf, etc. If your bag does not have a rag on it, put one on before you start. Also, for the finisher at the end, you will need to standard red bricks of 3 - 4 pounds each.

Set round timer for 3 - 10 standard rounds (3:00/1:00) depending on experience and fitness level. Beginners, 3 rnds, Intermediate 6, Advanced 10. You are going to punish the bag for the 3:00 and do some fitness work during the 1:00 “breaks.” There will be no rest at all.

All strikes with max power and all exercises with perfect form and old-school cadence: 1 second explosive concentric phase, 4 second slow and controlled eccentric phase. No cheating!!!

  1. Round 1: All in striking with hands, feet, elbows, knees, etc.. On break, 10 Push-ups.

  2. Round 2: Square Choke AHAYC for 10 secs, switch grip and repeat. Finish the round holding and hitting — bully grab with one hand and fib the nose with the other. On the break. 10 Crunches.

  3. Round 3: Hair and garment yanking and hitting. Alternate the holding hands, use both a bit, throw knees and elbows, etc. Use real aggression. On the break, recline laterally and do 5 Side Leg raises per side.

  4. Round 4: All in striking with hands, feet, elbows, knees, etc.. On break, 10 Knuckle Push-ups.

  5. Round 5: Square Choke AHAYC for 10 secs, switch grip and repeat. Finish the round grinding, gouging, clawing, and raking — bully grab with one hand and grind your thumb, fist, fore-knuckle, etc. into the bag, grab fistfuls of your yanking rag and squeeze, claw at the bag, etc. On the break. 10 Jackknifes.

  6. Round 6: Hair and garment yanking and hitting. Alternate the holding hands, use both a bit, throw knees and elbows, etc. Use real aggression. On the break do 10 Squats.

  7. Round 7: All in striking with hands, feet, elbows, knees, etc.. On break, 10 Incline Push-ups.

  8. Round 8: Square Choke AHAYC for 10 secs, switch grip and repeat. Finish the round holding and hitting — bully grab with one hand and fib the nose with the other. On the break. 10 Sky Reaches.

  9. Round 9: Hair and garment yanking and hitting. Alternate the holding hands, use both a bit, throw knees and elbows, etc. Maximum aggression. On the break, do 10 Sissy Squats (a.k.a. Limbo Squats)..

  10. Round 10: As many kicks as you can. On the break, 10 Commando Get-ups.

    Finisher: Work your grip and your fighting “bottom” by picking up 2 standard red bricks and going for a walk. Beginners: 1/4 mile or 5 minutes, Intermediate: 1/2 mile or 10 mins, Advanced: 1 mile or 20 minutes. If your grip starts to fail, get some “rest” by carrying them overhead with palms up and arms straight.

Want to train and fight like an old-timer? Click here to sign up today for our distance learning program! In other news, the new t-shirts are in. If you want to make a donation to the charity, we can definitely get you one! Just click here.

Holy Eucharist is LIVE on YouTube every Sunday at 10 am EASTERn. Click HERE to watch live. To view and print a copy of the program for holy Eucharist, CLICK HERE.

Homily for the Epiphany of the Lord, Sunday 1/4/26 – Father Mitch

Readings: Isaiah 60:1-6, Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13, Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6, Matthew 2:1-12

Matthew 2:1-12 World English Bible

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, behold, wise men† from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, 2 “Where is he who is born King of the Jews? For we saw his star in the east, and have come to worship him.” 3 When King Herod heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he asked them where the Christ would be born. 5 They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for this is written through the prophet,

6 ‘You Bethlehem, land of Judah,

are in no way least among the princes of Judah;

for out of you shall come a governor

who shall shepherd my people, Israel.’ ”*

7 Then Herod secretly called the wise men, and learned from them exactly what time the star appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem, and said, “Go and search diligently for the young child. When you have found him, bring me word, so that I also may come and worship him.”

9 They, having heard the king, went their way; and behold, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them until it came and stood over where the young child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 11 They came into the house and saw the young child with Mary, his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Opening their treasures, they offered to him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 Being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they went back to their own country another way.

Brothers and sisters, an epiphany is “a sudden insight or intuitive understanding.”¹  Today we read about the events surrounding the epiphany of the three wise men – the moment when they looked down upon the face of the Christ Child, realized that he was the Messiah, and worshipped him.  As always, the story is told with the least number of words possible.  The entire tale is less than a single typed page.  Yet it overflows with great consequences and wonders.

Here we have the most knowledgeable men of the time.  In the Greek they are called magoi – most likely Persian students of theology, science, math, alchemy, and astrology.  In those days, there was no distinction between science, philosophy, and religion.  It was presumed impossible to develop an understanding of the natural world without first understanding its Creator.  These were the most well-read and well-educated men of the era.

And when their star charts told them that a child of great import was going to be born, where did they go for insight?  To the great city, Jerusalem.  And whom did they ask?  King Herod.  But the Messiah isn’t there, and King Herod doesn’t know.  Not only does he not know, he is also a murderous liar.  In the verses that follow we will discover that King Herod doesn’t want to worship the child – he wants to kill him.  To get information, Herod must summon the scribes and religious leaders, who reference a minor prophet named Micah from the village of Morasheth, in the boondocks East of the Dead Sea. 

Here a great lesson emerges: the Messiah is not in the Holy City of Jerusalem, and King Herod is a clueless, homicidal liar.  Great cities and powerful leaders are not the center of the Universe – they are centers of commerce, power, and corruption which are entirely wide of the mark at which God so urgently wants us to aim.  Where’s the Savior, the Creator of the universe?  He’s far outside of the city, in a backwater town called Bethlehem.  Who knows what’s coming?  A minor prophet named Micah from the sticks, a prototype of John the Baptist crying out in the wilderness.

Listen everybody: the center of the universe has been moved.  The orbit of all the stars in the heavens, the pivot point of all history, and the center of all life and goodness has been relocated.  The hub around which all of creation turns is the navel of a helpless, newborn baby in Nowheresville.  No longer are we to make commerce the center of our lives.  No more are we to look to men of power and influence as role models.  When searching for a moral center, we are to look no further than the Messiah, the Savior, Christ the Lord.

When we have this epiphany, we should do as the wise men did.  Like the wise men, we should lay our gold, silver, and other treasures at his feet.  That is, we should put our treasures in the service of the good, the true, and the beautiful and invest our faith in Christ.  Like the wise men who, after their great epiphanic insight turned away from Herod and never looked back, we should reorient ourselves.  We should stop trusting in politicians, pundits, and petty dictators to come to our rescue.

We have already been rescued by our God and Lord Jesus Christ.  Let us always make him our guiding star.

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¹ The American Heritage Dictionary: https://ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=epiphany

†2:1 The word for “wise men” (magoi) can also mean teachers, scientists, physicians, astrologers, seers, interpreters of dreams, or sorcerers.

*2:6 Micah 5:2

Facta Non Verba: Mettle Maker #490 and Holy Eucharist for 12/28/25

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Mettle maker #490: Facta Non Verba

There’s great utility in learning Latin. It gives you insight into the way people used to write and think before the modern era, and a deeper understanding of what our words mean. Take for example the Latin motto, “Facta Non Verba” which translates to “Deeds Not Words.” Let that sink in for a second. Facts are not propositions.

Facts are things you do.

Meditate on the concept that what makes the statement “I am a martial artist” true is the fact that you do martial arts. A fact is not a falsifiable set of circumstances, a defensible argument, or a cohesive proposition. A fact is a deed.

So let’s get off our duffs and start establishing some facts, shall we? And speaking of actions not words, read today’s homily below and learn what you can from the example of St. Joseph.

Heads up: Coming next week to the YouTube channel: a set of “solo sparring drills” inspired by the brilliant and unusual training methods of the incomparable John Brookfield. I worked just three rounds of these new drills yesterday, and today I feel like I actually sparred for three rounds (minus the bruises of course). You’re going to love ‘em. So subscribe to the channel and stay tuned!

Want to train and fight like an old-timer? Click here to sign up today for our distance learning program! In other news, the new t-shirts are in. If you want to make a donation to the charity, we can definitely get you one! Just click here.

Holy Eucharist is LIVE on YouTube every Sunday at 10 am EASTERn. Click HERE to watch live. To view and print a copy of the program for holy Eucharist, CLICK HERE.

Note: if you missed Christmas service, click here to view the video.

Homily for the Feast of the Holy Family, Sunday 12/28/25 – Father Mitch

Readings: Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14, Psalm 128:1-2, 3, 4-5., Colossians 3:12-21, Mt 2:13-15, 19-23

Colossians 3:12-21 World English Bible

Put on therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, humility, and perseverance; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, if any man has a complaint against any; even as Christ forgave you, so you also do.

14 Above all these things, walk in love, which is the bond of perfection. 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body, and be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your heart to the Lord.

17 Whatever you do, in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

18 Wives, be in subjection to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.

19 Husbands, love your wives, and don’t be bitter against them.

20 Children, obey your parents in all things, for this pleases the Lord.

21 Fathers, don’t provoke your children, so that they won’t be discouraged.

Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23 World English Bible

Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and stay there until I tell you, for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.”

14 He arose and took the young child and his mother by night and departed into Egypt, 15 and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”*

19 But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, 20 “Arise and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel, for those who sought the young child’s life are dead.”

21 He arose and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in the place of his father, Herod, he was afraid to go there. Being warned in a dream, he withdrew into the region of Galilee, 23 and came and lived in a city called Nazareth; that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophets that he will be called a Nazarene.


Today’s readings contain a powerful message for us all, one that we can carry with us all the days of our life.  What a shame it is that so many people misunderstand them and therefore avoid them, even shying away from them.  I am speaking of the contentious Colossians 3:18 “Wives, be in subjection to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.”  Is this line at odds with modern sensibilities and attitudes?  Yes it is – but not in the manner assumed by most.  The footnote to this passage in the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, 2nd Edition says, “Paul gives pastoral instruction on family life.  He is challenging every household to be transformed with the ‘peace of Christ’ (3:15).  The apostle’s vision for domestic life stands in stark contrast to the godlessness of the pagan society, especially the tyranny of husbands and fathers.”

The Holy Family

Paul is instructing the faithful to put in place a mutual and voluntary family relationship that stands athwart the chauvinistic arrangements of the pagan past and the disordered situations so often seen in the world today.  In Eph. 5:22-25, Paul adds, “Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the assembly, being himself the savior of the body. 24 But as the assembly is subject to Christ, so let the wives also be to their own husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the assembly and gave himself up for her.”

A Christian husband and father is expected to love his wife and family unconditionally and self-sacrificially, embodying as much as possible, Christ’s love for us.  And the wife should not be forced into submission but rather should voluntarily and naturally align with her husband’s selfless leadership.  By the light of this interpretation, and in light of today’s gospel reading, what can we say about St. Joseph?

Here is a man about whom we know virtually nil.  The New Testament tells us nothing about his life before or after the Nativity story.  He lived, worked, and died in virtual anonymity, completely overshadowed by his stainless wife Mary who gave birth to the Son of God.  By this we know that he was humble beyond compare.  We also know that he was blessed by God with a vision and given the faith to trust it and act accordingly.  And we know that he was a strong, courageous, and hardworking man, because he led his family on a long and arduous journey through rough and lawless lands, bringing them safely to Nazareth where he labored and maintained a livelihood for them.

Who would not voluntarily follow such a man, such a leader, as this?  And what a world might it be like if all men walked with God as Joseph did?

 

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* 2:15 Hosea 11:1

Optimism vs. Cynicism: Mettle Maker #489 and Holy Eucharist for 12/21/25

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Mettle maker #489: Optimism vs. Cynicism

God save us from cynics, naysayers, Negative Nancies, and Gloomy Guses These are the folks who are always telling us that there’s no use trying, that whatever it is will never work, that the juice ain’t worth the squeeze, and that the risk ain’t worth the reward.

Aargh.

In my experience, these are the same people who claim to be on the side of practicality and common sense. Now, I’m all for practicality and common sense. But these folks push practicality to such an extreme that they drain all of the wonder, magic, and possibility from life.

Here’s what they don’t get:

Only he who attempts the absurd is capable of achieving the impossible. (Miguel de Unamuno)

For more on the incredible power of positivity and possibility, read today’s homily below, or watch the video.

Set goals in your martial arts training. Train and write in your journal every day. Start small and go slow. Don’t overtrain. Listen to your body and give yourself time. Bit by bit, inch by inch, you can climb a mountain. How did Michel Lotito eat an entire airplane? By cutting it into very small chunks.

Fine. Maybe you won’t get there.

But you might. You won’t know until you try. Not try with great intensity for a short period of time and ultimately give up, but really try. Try with everything you’ve got. Remember, “trying hard” probably doesn’t mean working with hyperintensity for a short period of time. More likely, “trying hard” means working consistently for a very, very long time.

Want to train and fight like an old-timer? Click here to sign up today for our distance learning program! In other news, the new t-shirts are in. If you want to make a donation to the charity, we can definitely get you one! Just click here.

Holy Eucharist is LIVE on YouTube every Sunday at 10 am EASTERn. Click HERE to watch live. To view and print a copy of the program for holy Eucharist, CLICK HERE.

Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Advent, 12/21/25 – Father Mitch

Readings: Isaiah 7:10-14, Psalm 24:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, Romans 1:1-7, Matthew 1:18-24

Matthew 1:18-24 World English Bible

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was like this: After his mother, Mary, was engaged to Joseph, before they came together, she was found pregnant by the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph, her husband, being a righteous man, and not willing to make her a public example, intended to put her away secretly. 20 But when he thought about these things, behold,† an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take to yourself Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 She shall give birth to a son. You shall name him Jesus,‡ for it is he who shall save his people from their sins.”

22 Now all this has happened that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying,

23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child,

and shall give birth to a son.

They shall call his name Immanuel,”

which is, being interpreted, “God with us.”*

24 Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took his wife to himself; 25 and didn’t know her sexually until she had given birth to her firstborn son. He named him Jesus.

There are, broadly speaking, two attitudes: rejecting and accepting.  We can either view the events of life as obstacles or opportunities. We can be cynical – seeing the worst in people and situations – or we can be optimistic, seeing the potential good in whatever comes our way.

We can see these attitudes at play in our readings today.  In Isaiah 7, God tells King Ahaz to ask for a sign.  But Ahaz makes an excuse.  He says, "I will not ask!  I will not tempt the LORD!"  Why?  Perhaps he doesn’t see how asking for a sign benefits him.  If he receives a sign, he’ll have to act on it.  If there is an opportunity to see or perhaps perform a great act in cooperation with God’s direction, that might be difficult or costly.  Maybe he’d have to give up his fortune or even his life.  But God gives him a sign anyway: “the virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel.”

Certainly we can choose, like Ahaz, to avoid asking God to show us the good in every situation.  We can decide not to ask him how we can serve his purposes.  We can decide to be cynical and negative.  We can either embrace God’s plan, or we can run from it – but God is not going to change his plans to suit us.  The only question is whether not we are going to participate in his plan or not. 

St. Paul, in his letter to the Romans from which we read today, gives the good news to the people of Rome.  It varies in the finer points from the way God gave it to Ahaz, but the implications overlap.  First St. Paul lays out the facts in a manner that would eventually become concrete in the Apostle’s Creed.  Then he says that everyone is called to belong to Jesus Christ.  By the grace of God, many heard this news and came to believe.  In just a few hundred years, even the emperor of Rome became a believer.  There must have been many people who heard St. Paul’s words with cynical, rejecting ears.  But their failure to participate in God’s plan did not change the outcome even one jot.

What a miracle it is, brothers and sisters that Joseph, Mary’s betrothed, chose to be receptive to the revelations of God.  It would’ve been very easy for him to disregard the message of God that came to him in his dream.  In his culture, the scandal of marrying a girl carrying another man’s bastard child would’ve risked lifelong shame for the couple.  They might’ve been shunned by society, resulting in social and financial ruin.  But no – St. Joseph decided to cooperate with God.  He accepted what the angel told him in the dream. He believed the miraculous revelation, accepted and cooperated with God’s plan, and went forward in trust and optimism.  

We have a choice.  We can see, as the saying goes, the glass as half empty or half full.  We can see our lives as never-ending, pointless struggles ending in death; or we can see life as a gift and a miracle that merely transitions from this life to eternal life in the presence of God.  We can, like St. Joseph, choose to see this life, and God’s plan for it, as a miraculous revelation and face it with a heart filled with love, joy, and wonder.

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† 1:20 “Behold”, from “ἰδοὺ”, means look at, take notice, observe, see, or gaze at. It is often used as an interjection.

‡ 1:21 “Jesus” means “Salvation”.

* 1:23 Isaiah 7:14

Liberation: Mettle Maker #488 and Holy Eucharist for 12/14/25

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Mettle maker #488: Liberation

If you get bored, you’ll give up. So all hail variety, right? But on the other hand, you need to have goals — things you’d like to achieve. Aren’t those two things at odds though? I mean, if you want to get good at anything, don’t you need to do it over and over? If you want to get big muscles, don’t you have to squat and bench press consistently and often?

Well, if you listen to the best strength coaches, like Dan John for example, variety and consistency fit together like peanut butter and chocolate.

an amazing feat

At age 64, an ice delivery man named August Johnson hammer-gripped the cloth top of a money bag filled with 32 lbs. of coin and carried it 1 mile without putting it down or letting it touch his body. This feat has never been duplicated.

Case in point: the last time I made a run at world class grip strength, my grip did improve. But I also got medial epicondylitis (“golfer’s elbow”) that took months to heal. Ultimately I gave up on the dream. Recently though, inspired by the incomparable, record-breaking grip master John Brookfield (inventor of Battle Ropes) and smacked in the head by the recent achievements of Emil Abrahamsson, I have decided to take another run at it — at age 64.

The results have been pretty miraculous. In just a couple of months I’ve increased my grip by about 50%.† How? With a heaping helping of variety. I have 8 different training blocks which I cycle through in sequence, training grip about 6 days/week. And every evening I do grip health exercises involving mobility and isometrics.

In variety you will find liberation: liberation from boredom, injury, stagnation, and misery. You will also find liberation in the gospel reading below, by the way. Here is the training session I did Saturday morning, in which you will find a great deal of variety.

12/13/25 Training Session

Notes: “Failure” means the point at which form ceases to be perfect. Training to actual failure results in injury. Also, pacing is key on resistance exercises. All reps are with explosive contraction and slow expansion (3-4 secs) with full range of motion and full stop at the end of each rep. A set of 12 reps should take at least 48 seconds. No junk reps. Form is king.

  • Fight Ready Protocol (~10 mins)

  • 2 Rounds of dog kicks (~10 mins)

  • Body toughening with shot bag and striking stones (~10 mins)

  • Day A Resistance training (1 of 6 A through D) : Isometric Back Squat 3 x 10 secs, Plank Row 45° 1 set to failure Incline Push-ups, 2 sets to failure, Hanging Knee Raise 3 sets to failure, Barbell Curl, 2 sets to failure, Isometric Kickback 3x10 secs, DB Seated Press, 2 sets to failure (~15 mins)

  • Grip Strength, Day D (1 of 8, A through H): Pinch Grip Deadlift, Fat Bar Deadlift, Sword from Stone 1-hand Deadlift, Titan’s Telegraph Key pinch grip tool. 2 sets to failure of each (~20 mins)

  • Neck Strength, Day E (1 of 5, A through E). Crunches and extensions with weight plate, 2 sets of each to failure.

  • Body Weight Farmer Walks, 1 set to failure (~2 mins)

  • 800 meter run (I never run more than this — too hard on the knees — walking is safer) (~5 mins)

  • Total time: ~ 90 minutes

    Give this one a try and let me know how it goes!

† Using rep counts with various Ironmind grippers, and this online calculator, my 1RM has increased by 50%.

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Homily for the Third Sunday of Advent, 12/14/25 – Father Mitch

Readings: Isaiah 35:1-6a, 10, Psalm 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10, James 5:7-10, Matthew 11:2-11

Matthew 11:2-11 World English Bible

2 Now when John heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples 3 and said to him, “Are you he who comes, or should we look for another?”

4 Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: 5 the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear,* the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.* 6 Blessed is he who finds no occasion for stumbling in me.”

7 As these went their way, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John, “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 8 But what did you go out to see? A man in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. 9 But why did you go out? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and much more than a prophet. 10 For this is he, of whom it is written, ‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.’* 11 Most certainly I tell you, among those who are born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptizer; yet he who is least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he.”

 

Today, brothers and sisters, we walk full force into the power of Christ.  Maybe you don’t feel it.  Perhaps this reads like an historical anecdote about Jesus passing a message through intermediaries to John the Baptists while he’s in prison.  That is not what this is.

To set us up to receive the gospel in the right frame of mind, readings have been selected for us with great care.  First we read from Isaiah 35,

 

4 Tell those who have a fearful heart, “Be strong!

Don’t be afraid!

Behold, your God will come with vengeance, God’s retribution.

He will come and save you.

 

5 Then the eyes of the blind will be opened,

and the ears of the deaf will be unstopped.

6 Then the lame man will leap like a deer,

and the tongue of the mute will sing.

 

John the Baptist, stuck in prison and doomed to die, is not blind.  He can see, as it were, the handwriting on the wall.  He knows his fate.  He’s not deaf.  He can hear the clank of the manacles and the slamming of the prison door.  He isn’t lame. He can pace his cell and wish he wasn’t inside. 

But there is coming to him a great liberating message that he could not see before.  There is good news coming to his ears that no ear has ever heard before.  There is still a reason for John the Baptist’s heart to leap like a deer, as no heart has ever leapt before.

What is that message?  From James 5 we read,

See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You too must be patient. Make your hearts firm, because the coming of the Lord is at hand.

Listen everyone, this is the good news that came to John the Baptist; this is the good news that every eye should see; the good news that every ear should hear; the good news that should make every heart leap like a deer:

Every maker of every prison is a feeble and petty dictator, and every barred door of every jail is an open window.  Because the Messiah has come, Christ the Lord.  There is no place into which he cannot reach.  There is no place so dark enough that he cannot illuminate it. 

The Word, the Logos made Flesh, Jesus Christ, has entered come to earth and entered his creation. He passes through all barriers and sets all captives who believe in him free – free from the bondage of addiction, the slavery of greed and lust, the chains of fear of death, and the confinement of despair.  A physical prison can hold a body in this world but cannot prevent a repentant sinner from escaping into the arms of Jesus, or prevent safe passage into life everlasting!

Now then – imagine how the heart of John the Baptist leapt when he heard this good news, and let your heart leap too! 

This is the good news — rejoice and be free!

Mettle Maker #487 and Holy Eucharist for 12/7/25

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Mettle maker #487: Truth and Unity

The modern mind has been infected with a kind of deep gnosticism. That is to say that, since the start of the Reformation, the material and spiritual have been increasingly teased apart and separated. There are now only two kinds of truth, neither of which is objective. There is material truth: that which can be quantified by science and its instruments — and there is subjective truth: personal opinions.

But there was, in ancient times, a way of seeing that presupposed that conceptual separation of the material from the spiritual was a grave error. The heresy most railed against by the church fathers was Gnosticism. Body, mind and spirit, insisted Irenaeus and others, cannot be teased apart. They are all one. The ancients understood that there was no conflict between science, philosophy, religion, and practicality. They arrived at objective truth, insofar as that is possible, by searching for the things that are true in a non-dualistic way. True now and true forever. True practically (body), true intellectually (mind), and true spiritually (spirit). .

Rough ‘n’ Tumblers, as we discussed last month, are “bowtie barbarians.” We have one foot in high falutin’ ideas and in-the-weeds details, but we are also the kind of folks who are out in the woods gettin’ dirty. And as polite, kind, decent, and loving as we are, we can fight like bobcats when evil enters our front door.

A Rough ‘n’ Tumbler should never auger into a hole and lose sight of the forest for the trees.

Which is why I was so frustrated with myself the other day when I realized (as I do every few years) that I had gotten so hyper-focused on getting everything done that I’m doing nothing perfectly. I have forced my martial arts and fitness training into a kind of “tacklebox of time” which has drained out most of the spontaneity and half of the fun. Efficiency is a nice idea. But that’s just focusing on material output (body) without consideration of the consequences of boredom (mind) and enrichment (spirit).

How embarrassingly gnostic of me.

Your assignment this week is to do what I did: contemplate, meditate, and cogitate on these things and take action as needed — both in your training habits and in your life more generally.

Body, mind, and spirit are one!


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Homily for the Second Sunday of Advent, 12/7/25 – Father Mitch

Readings: Isaiah 11:1-10, Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17, Romans 15:4-9, Matthew 3:1-12

Matthew 3:1-12 World English Bible

1 In those days, John the Baptizer came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, 2 “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!” 3 For this is he who was spoken of by Isaiah the prophet, saying,

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness,

make the way of the Lord ready!

Make his paths straight!”*

4 Now John himself wore clothing made of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then people from Jerusalem, all of Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him. 6 They were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.

7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for his baptism, he said to them, “You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Therefore produce fruit worthy of repentance! 9 Don’t think to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father,’ for I tell you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 10 Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit is cut down, and cast into the fire.

11 “I indeed baptize you in water for repentance, but he who comes after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit.† 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing floor. He will gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire.”

My friends, what is a baptism?  It is something that comes from outside ourselves.  We seek it because we cannot cultivate it.  If we could grow our own food and raise our own animals, we wouldn’t need to go to the market.  In a similar way, we turn to Jesus Christ to feed us with His Body and Blood in the Holy Eucharist.  In a similar way, our brethren in the church can baptize us in water, which is a great blessing, but our human bodies and actions can only get us so far.  We can place the bread and wine on the altar, but only God can make them become the Body and Blood of Christ; we can sprinkle or immerse the believer in baptismal waters, but only Jesus Christ can fill us with the Holy Ghost.

I beg of you: let the words of Isaiah wash over you like baptismal waters.  They are some of the most beautiful, promising, and miraculous words ever written.  In resplendent and stirring language, Isaiah foretells the coming of Christ in all his glory.  Using poetic imagery, he describes the perfection that, in the fullness of time, Jesus Christ will bring about in the world. 

6 The wolf will live with the lamb,

and the leopard will lie down with the young goat,

the calf, the young lion, and the fattened calf together;

and a little child will lead them.

7 The cow and the bear will graze.

Their young ones will lie down together.

The lion will eat straw like the ox.

8 The nursing child will play near a cobra’s hole,

and the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den.

9 They will not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain;

for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD,

as the waters cover the sea.

We cannot work miracles of this kind.  But that doesn’t mean that there’s nothing we can do.  Listen carefully to the words of Isaiah: “A shoot will come out of the stock of Jesse, and a branch out of his roots will bear fruit. The LORD’s Spirit will rest on him.” (Isaiah 11:1-2).  Hear this: “The LORD’s Spirit will rest on him.”  We can pray that, just as the Spirit of the Lord rests on Jesus Christ, the Root of Jesse, the Spirit of the Lord will rest on us through baptism. 

We can, if you will, imitate John the Baptist.  We can turn our backs on the distractions of this world, simplify our lives, and go those desolate places in the wilderness of sin where other strugglers like us are begging to be led to the baptismal waters of the River Jordan.  St. John the Baptist says, “I indeed baptize you in water for repentance, but he who comes after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and with fire.”

Let us pray that the Spirit of the Lord, the fire of Pentecost, will rest on us.  Let us pray that we too will bear fruit; that, receiving the gifts of the Holy Ghost, we will as much as humanly possible, judge not by the sight of our eyes nor decide by the hearing of our ears, but judge the poor with righteousness, decide with equity for the humble of the earth, and have righteousness and faithfulness as a belt around our waist.

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* 3:3 Isaiah 40:3

† 3:11 TR and NU add “and with fire”

Mettle Maker #486 and Holy Eucharist for 11/30/25

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Mettle maker #486: Get Tough

In the grand scheme of things, when compared to years past, we have pretty easy go of it. Are things hard? Sure. Is it true that the “official” poverty line is $32,150 but in reality it’s more like $140,000? Probably. But we aren’t being forced to give quarter to British soldiers, many very common diseases that were once incurable are now curable or eradicated, and as of 2012, obesity now kills three times more people than starvation, and there are no natives out there who, if they capture you, will scrape the skin off your living, staked out body with a sharpened seashells (and then stand outside your home and mock your family if you cried out in pain before you died).

Prior to the industrial revolution, the average manual laborer worked so hard that they ate 6,000 calories a day without getting fat, and no country in the world had a life expectancy longer than 40 years.

Trust me. We’ve got it easy.

May I suggest that we need to work on toughening ourselves up just a shade? See the video below. Go slow. Watch this video also, and this one too. Start slow and work at it. Don’t make excuses, but don’t try to build Rome in a day. Little by little, day by day, bit by bit, and you will get there.


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Homily for First Sunday of Advent, 11/30/25 – Father Mitch

Readings: Isaiah 2:1-5, Psalm 122: 1-2, 3-4, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9, Romans 13:11-14, Matthew 24:37-44

Matthew 24:37-44 World English Bible

As the days of Noah were, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. 38 For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ship, 39 and they didn’t know until the flood came and took them all away, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. 40 Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and one will be left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and one will be left. 42 Watch therefore, for you don’t know in what hour your Lord comes. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what watch of the night the thief was coming, he would have watched, and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. 44 Therefore also be ready, for in an hour that you don’t expect, the Son of Man will come.

 

We do not know if Christ will come while we live or after we have passed.  Perhaps, as Jesus describes in today’s reading, he will come while we are living and we will be taken with him into the new heavens and the new earth.  Or perhaps he will come after we have passed and, if we knew him and followed him while we lived, our graves will be opened, we will be given glorious bodies, and we will walk with him in the life to come.

Either way, we will live with him in his father’s house.  Jesus says in John 14:1-3, “Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And when I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”

Yes, there is uncertainty as to when Christ will come again to earth.  Yes, there is uncertainty about what it will be like and how it all will work.  We can easily be overwhelmed by this uncertainty.  But we also know a great deal.  And if we focus on what we know, the uncertainty melts away.  And here’s what’s miraculous: what we know for sure far outweighs any uncertainty.  And furthermore, what we know explains why these readings are assigned to the first Sunday in Advent.

What we know is that Jesus is not dead but alive.  He entered into his creation as a newborn baby, born to a virgin and placed in a manger.  This is the holiday season of the Incarnation into which we enter today.  We know that he gave his life for us, rose from the dead, and gave us his Holy Ghost to stand by us, protect us, inspire and direct us – and therefore we know that he is alive and still with us.  And this means that we can be with him in prayer every moment of every day.  We do not need wait to see if he will come while we are living.  We can be with him now in prayer, supplication, and thanksgiving.  

Yes my children, we can be with him in his Father’s house – this house of worship in which we are now gathered – and praise him together today.  Not in a time and place of uncertainty, but in a real space now.  There is no need to wait. 

St. Paul in today’s reading says, “Let us then throw off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.”  Let’s do that today.

The prophet Isaiah says in today’s readings, “let us walk in the light of the Lord!”  Let’s do that today, now, and always!