Proper execution of fundamentals is the key to long-term sustainability.

Why? Because pressure is coming. Whether you want it to or not … nothing is exempt from pressure.

Weak things that are poorly constructed cannot hold up under duress.

I once asked a structural engineer about this very issue. I said to him, “I’ve always heard that the foundation is the most critical part of any structure; but nobody has ever explained why that is true. Can you explain it in simple terms?”

He said without hesitation, “Because gravity is unstoppable. The pressure of gravity puts enormous strain on a structure. So the better the foundation, the better that structure holds up over time.”

Our faith, and our faith structures, are not exempt.

Fundamentals matter because fundamentals are the structures we build our lives on when it comes to the faith journey.

Today on Wild & Kingdom we are talking about fundamentals: the fundamentals of shooting a gun and the fundamentals of faith itself.

And we’ve got a Navy SEAL sniper and a Christian songwriter to help walk us through these issues in Seal Snipers & Songwriters.

Jesse Reeves is the songwriter you’ll meet. He was at the top of Christian mainstream music for over 15 years … and he walked away.

Jesse goes to the gun range with Sam Mackey toting a Mossberg Patriot .308 bolt action.

Sam is a former SEAL Team sniper, who is now the CEO of OUTSIDER.

After Sam gives us the tactical insights of how a sniper shoots a gun, Jesse is actually going to move off the gun range, and come into the studio to tell us his backstory and his struggles as a songwriter – and as a church planter – as we unpack the landscape of today’s church culture.

Be advised: this discussion is both raw and relevant.

To be raw and relevant are two of the bedrock convictions we used when creating Wild & Kingdom. We believe that reaching men or any form of men’s ministry must go far beyond men’s Bible study.

Poll most Christian men, and you’ll find that if they are honest, church is an obligation instead of a motivation. It doesn’t have to be this way.

Men were designed to lead the Church forward.

And much of what we discuss in the podcast portion is at the very core of why the American Church has been in decline for over 40 years.

Look, God gave us His “church” as a Kingdom tool. The Church is His Plan A – and there is no Plan B.

Even still, that does not mean we cannot step back as men and look at what has to change in order for the Kingdom to come “on earth as it is in Heaven.”

The Scriptures tell us that every single one of us are priests.

God did not give us a campus to visit where priests work … we are His priests. Every last one of us. We are sent into the world to minister the priesthood in our jobs, communities, and every other place our personal influence touches.

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light … 1 Peter 2:9

Watch the show first.

The follow up is crucial. Listen to the podcast, or even watch it on the Wild & Kingdom YouTube channel.

We hope you like it, but most importantly, we hope you do something with it.