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Broaden Your Base

February 1, 2026/in Self-Improvement/by Bruce Gust

If you’re a hockey fan at all, you may have heard about the “bongo anthem” – a unique version of the National Anthem sung by Bruce Gust, a nine year veteran of the USMC and a former national recording artist. While it’s been referenced in multiple news outlets, it got yet another boost recently on ESPN’s TikTok channel where in the space of only 3 days, it got over 3 million views.

As it turns out, Bruce has got an interesting resume that includes having sung and played with a band that broke the Country Music Top 40, in addition to having served in the USMC for nine years, five of which were as a Drum Instructor at the Armed Forces School of Music. He credits his career path to a piece of advice he got from a retired Marine Corps Major when he was getting ready to graduate High School…

High School Graduation

Years ago, when I was getting ready to graduate High School, I sat down with a retired Marine Corp Major who gave me some counsel as I was attempting to navigate my options after graduation. He suggested that I “broaden my base.” He went on to explain that when you broaden your base, you’re making choices that afford you more opportunities, rather than those d

ecisions that unnecessarily regulate you to a limited number of options.

I decided to enlist in the Marine Corps. My rationale at the time was I wanted to serve, given my Dad’s recommendation, and I was determined to go to college – an aspiration I figured the military could help finance in some way, though I wasn’t completely sure what major I wanted to pursue. It was an audition for the Marine Corps band program, however, that initiated a professional trajectory that truly “broadened my base.”

I had been attending the Eastman School of Music Preparatory Department (now the Eastman Community School), studying under Ruth Cahn, one of the principle percussionists with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. Under her guidance, I was exposed to mallet percussion as well as orchestral snare. That, coupled with my involvement with my High School’s music program positioned me in a way that made me a strong candidate for training as a military musician.

The Marine Corps

I went to Parris Island and from there reported to the Armed Forces School of Music (Modern Drummer did an article about the School while I was an Instructor there). I spent two years in Hawaii and then came back to the School and became a Drum Instructor.

As a drummer in the military, you are required to be able to function in a variety of playing situations. In the morning, you may do a colors ceremony, where you’ll be playing rudimental snare. Later that day, you’ll be in a concert band rehearsal where you’re playing bells, orchestral snare, and timpani. Later that night, you’re behind the kit playing selections that require a familiarity with swing, and several latin styles.

In addition, in order to graduate from the School of Music, you have to successfully complete courses in Theory and Ear Training. As a non-commissioned officer, the Intermediate Course takes that same training a step further and you’re now learning traditional harmony and how to arrange for a stage band. And this is on top of qualifying with your rifle and keeping your physique in line with military physical fitness requirements.
It’s a phenomenal program and several drumming icons including Steve Gadd and Billy Cobham are among those who have served as military musicians.
As an instructor, you have to be able to teach and lead by example. All of what’s expected in your students has to be personified in both your appearance and your ability to demonstrate the skills they need to learn. It’s both an inspiring and sobering responsibility and provides a huge incentive to be more than just adequate.
It was while I was serving as a Drum Instructor that I finished my degree in Business Management by attending night school – a program I began while stationed at Pearl Harbor. Now I’m practicing more than I might otherwise and my study habits are more focused in part because of the way the Marine Corps emphasizes discipline.
I was about a year away from my discharge that I was introduced to Norman Miller who used me on a project featuring his wife, Sheila Walsh, a successful Contemporary Christian Music artist, who was co-hosting the 700 Club with Pat Robertson at the time. That lead to me being his drummer for another project he produced called the Young Messiah Tour, which featured an entire roster of Contemporary Christian music icons.

So, what began in Boot Camp was now a chance to tour as a college graduate with people whose albums I owned. After the tour, I moved to Nashville. I joined Two Rivers Baptist Church and it was in the context of playing in the church orchestra that I met some talented musicians who were looking to start a country band.

Western Flyer

Together we formed the band, “Western Flyer.” Initially, I was a little hesitant, however, having cut my teeth on Jazz Fusion. I had been part of Jazz Trio that played music by Spyro Gyra, David Sanborn, Jeff Lorber, and others. And while I had played and sang in a band in Virginia that played Top 40, Country Music was not part of my musical vocabulary and singing parts was uncharted territory.

But instead of restricting my opportunities to only those styles that resonated as familiar, I again chose to “broaden my base.” As it turned out, although we were categorized as a country band, we all had influences that extended beyond a singular genre. Instead of being compelled to follow a conventional template, I was encouraged to apply concepts I had gleaned from some of Dave Weckl’s instructional content to our title cut. It was Steve Gadd’s approach to “Friends” by Chick Corea that informed my approach to another one of the selections on our first album. In addition, it was the Ear Training I learned at the School of Music that helped me get up to speed when it came to singing harmony.

Western Flyer would tour all over the country. We were featured on national television and my engagement to my future bride was announced in Country Weekly magazine. But, while it’s tempting to think that a record deal translates to a career, that’s not always the case. Regardless of how many arenas you play, or how popular your songs are on the radio, the business side of it can sometimes override your aspirations and you wind up having to reinvent yourself in order to pay your bills.

It’s here where the counsel of that Marine Corps major would surface once again. While being a former national recording artist is a prestigious credential, it doesn’t necessarily guarantee you opportunities as a studio musician or even a position as a touring drummer. But instead of resolving to define myself exclusive according to my drum kit, I chose to “broaden my base.”

More Opportunities

I became a Corporate Trainer and taught myself web programming. I then expanded my portfolio to the point where I would secure a position as a full-time web developer.

Simultaneously, I wrote a book on how to play the drums. That translated to clinics that occurred throughout the country. I made my activity known to Pintech, Peavey, and Taye Drums and they responded by providing the necessary gear to perform at these events. And by drawing from my training in Arranging, theory, and chord progression at the School of Music, I created a play-along series based on arrangements of hymns designed to feature the drummer.

Given my military background and a commitment to fitness, I got certified as a Group Fitness Instructor and developed an audio workout system featuring…drums! You can see it at https://loosecannonfitness.com/

The NHL performance that has since gone viral was the result of a conversation with the mother of one of my drum students who happened to work as part of the Nashville Predators who was able to contact me with the right people who then got me on the ice.

Your Signature

Many of those who pick up a drumstick see their musical fulfillment defined according to a very narrow collection of criteria. They will, in some cases, make unhealthy sacrifices in pursuit of a goal that sometimes proves either illusive or less than satisfying.

But there’s a prize to be won that provides a level of fulfillment that doesn’t depend on circumstances and opportunities that one can’t always control. It’s both accessible and motivating and it all comes down to “broadening your base.”

Benjamin Franklin was an incredibly accomplished individual. He signed the Declaration of Independence, he was a part of the Constitutional Convention, and he was there to sign the Treaty of Versailles. In addition, he invented the Franklin Stove, he was revered throughout the world as the one who developed the lighting rod. He invented the Public Library, the postal service, and organized the very first volunteer Fire Department. Given all these accomplishments, it’s interesting to note that he often signed his name, “B. Franklin, Printer.”

As musicians, we are similar. We have the capacity to contribute in ways that go beyond a solitary passion, yet maintain a signature that acknowledges our favored pursuit. Consider some of the most successful musicians. In many cases, not only are they singers or instrumentalists, they’re also entrepreneurs that maintain successful business ventures. They don’t see multiple obligations as distractions. Rather, they see them as additions to a platform characterized by healthy priorities and a variety of professional accomplishments.

They have “broadened their base.”

When you do that, you’re not longer restricted in seeing your craft as either a full-time effort or a side hustle. Rather, you see yourself as a conglomeration of skills and talents that, taken together, translate to a full color resume and the opportunities that result.

Sports Illustrated • Times of India • ESPN • Daily Mail • Fox News • Pardon My Take

What If?

July 21, 2025/in Discipleship, Muscular Christianity, Self-Improvement/by Bruce Gust

Wouldn’t it be great if there was a resource out there that got your entire congregation genuinely interested in studying the Word of God, spending time in prayer and being genuinely engaged and not just present when it came to church attendance?

I want to believe that what I’m getting ready to propose could do just that.

Now, I know what you’re thinking… You’ve been leading long enough to know that campaigns and strategies rarely deliver when it comes to facilitating an enduring commitment to spiritual maturity.

I know.

But let me ask you a question: If you were to create a billboard that promoted a relationship with Jesus Christ and you couldn’t reference heaven or hell or how Jesus helps you with your problems, what would that billboard say?

Most people find it hard to come up with something right out to the chute. Intuitively, they know there’s more to Christianity than just a “go to” Resource when you’re at the end of your rope. But conventional church culture typically predicates everything it does in terms of evangelism and discipleship on the assumption that you’re in desperate need of Divine Assistance.

And we are.

Anybody with even a rudimentary knowledge of God’s Word can reference Romans 6:23 and John 15:5 as far as our being destined to eternal damnation and the fact that, apart from Christ, we can do nothing.

But more often than not, that’s where our “marketing” stops. And while it’s absolutely needful to recognize our spiritual and practical destitution apart from our Redeemer, it’s just as crucial to embrace the Purpose, Peace and Power He makes available to us that’s designed to be applied in a way where we reek of excellence in everything we do, think and say.

Everything.

If you were to apply Colossians 3:18 in the way you perform at work, you would be more than the kind of person an employer would hire… You’d be the kind of person they would promote.

Second Corinthians says that God is able to make available to you all that you need so that you can knock it out of the park in “all things at all times.”

Salvation was never intended to be relevant only in the context of your funeral arrangements or as a Divine Emergency Kit. You want to be on top of your spiritual game so that at the end of the day, you’re…

…not just smart, you’re wise
…you’re not just busy, you’re productive
…you’re not just moral, you’re excellent

You’re the kind of person people want to work with and work for. You light up every room you walk into and it’s not because of who you are but because you’re given the One Who lives inside of your free reign over every aspect of your life.

Do you see where this is going?

Christianity is not just playing defense where you’re constantly bracing yourself for the next temptation or the next attack. It’s about moving the ball down the field, putting points on the board and not being satisfied with merely being “nice,” but being stronger, deeper and better than you could ever hope to be on your own.

And that is how you get the masses fired up about reading the Word of God and drawing nearer to their King! You show them the Practical Result of Discipleship so they’re perceiving prayer and Bible Study as invitations and not just obligations. Show them that billboard that has things like…

Prepare to Win
It’s All Good
He Will, He Can, He Does and He Is
More Than You Know
On Your Feet

And mind you, this is not a “prosperity gospel!” In the end, it’s not about you. It’s about Him in and through you and it’s that ever increasing desire for more of Him that translates to a greater degree of excellence in the way you perform, the way you speak and in the way you think.

And that’s what Muscular Christianity is all about.

• Keep Reading
• What Would Your Billboard Say? (Part I)
• What Would Your Billboard Say? (Part II)
• What Would Your Billboard Say? (Part III)
• What If?
• Your Billboard

It’s not just fitness. It’s a paradigm. We’re not looking at diet and exercise as yet another means by which we can gratify ourselves. We’re establishing a Source of Inspiration that motivates us beyond that point where we would otherwise make concessions.

We’re making a point of ensuring that everything we do, think and say rates the Approval of our King and that’s going to apply both to the gym and to the dinner table.

We’re going to surround ourselves with Accountability Partners and in that way deploy a Biblical strategy that applies to every discipline we engage and not just our workout schedule. And we’re going to pop the hood on the Word of God and get to a place where we can explain what we believe and why we believe it.

We’re going to develop a perspective that intentionally blurs the lines that would otherwise distinguish the sacred from the secular and we’re going to unpack the Reality that says we become and we accomplish so much more when we realize that it’s not about us and it’s all about Him.

You ready to do this?

You want to fly solo or do you want to do this in a group setting?

You want to kick this off with an introductory session, or how about a Sunday morning service?

Click on any of the links for more information.

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The Truth | Part Two: Ask the Right Questions About Christianity

January 29, 2025/0 Comments/in Uncategorized/by Bruce Gust

A Powerful Tool

A question can serve as a powerful tool to reveal the difference between what’s real and what’s preferred.

Depending on who you’re talking to, it’s not always an easy distinction to make because of the way some see themselves as their own absolute. Truth is whatever they choose to endorse based on the extent to which it makes them happy. However compelling the evidence may be that demonstrates the fallacy of their argument, they can undermine its effectiveness by insisting that it’s either irrelevant or unreliable. It doesn’t matter if the evidence is incontrovertible. When the only standard that you answer to is the one who stares back at you in the mirror every morning, you can restrict the information being considered to only those facts that reinforce the idea that you are your own bottom line.

When you ask a question, however, you control the conversation. A question requires an answer and a weak response is impossible to conceal.

But the right question can do more than just influence the direction of a dialogue, it can reveal the truth and those who are opposed to it.

That’s how Jesus was able to successfully contend with the Pharisees – He asked them questions that required legitimate answers and not just strategic responses. Just like it’s possible to be honest without telling the whole truth, you can sound like you have a point and yet be completely wrong simply by emphasizing certain aspects of an issue and ignoring all that would otherwise provide context and a more complete understanding of what is being discussed.

In some instances, it’s ignorance. But in other scenarios, it’s a willful disregard that masquerades as either critical thinking or a wounded disposition. Those that pose as either enlightened thinkers or victims that need attention are rehearsed, conditioned, and encouraged by a society that promotes the individual as his own absolute and if you have a complaint, you automatically have a cause.

You don’t reason with someone who’s god is their stomach (Rom 16:18; Phil 3:19), but that doesn’t change the mandate we have to always be ready to give a reason for the hope that we have (1 Pet 3:15). And that hope isn’t limited to what happens when your heart stops beating, it’s the hope that we have that regardless of the situation that we’re in, there’s a Truth to be discovered that translates to wisdom (Jas 1:5), strength (Eph 1:19; Phil 2:13; Col 1:29), and peace (Is 26:3; Phil 4:7).

So, while those who are determined to maintain themselves as their own deity are philosophically invested in a lie that will not be surrendered, regardless of the liberty and the power freely offered by the Truth (Jn 8:32), you still want to be able to champion what’s right and do it in a way that makes a difference and doesn’t just make a noise.

And one of the ways you can do that is to ask the right questions.

Some Good Questions

Here are some questions you can ask that demonstrate the validity of the Christian doctrine.

1) Every religion on earth empowers the individual with the ability to earn their way into heaven, except one. Which religion is it?

a) Islam
b) Judaism
c) Christianity
d) Scientology

As a Muslim, your eternal destiny is determined by your behavior on earth. You’re required to obey the Five Pillars of Islam and Jihad is also a way of being able to gain favor with Allah.

As a Jew, you’re status is improved with “mitzvahs,” or good works.

Scientology asserts that you are a thetan – an entity that exists separately from the body and you improve your thetan by clearing it from the engrams that prevent it from functioning more freely.

While there are no Eastern religions mentioned here, they fall into the same category. A Buddhist is looking to end suffering by achieving Nirvana in the context of following the Noble Eightfold Path. Hindus pursue Moksha in order to be liberated from the cycle of death and rebirth.

Christianity says that you are a spiritual corpse and there’s nothing you can do to improve your status or your destiny (Ps 14:3; Is 64:6; 1 Cor 2:12; Eph 2:1); . Rather, salvation is a gift that you receive by faith (Eph 2:8-9). You do not earn you way into heaven. It’s by God’s grace alone and, from that standpoint, it’s the only true religion because it’s the only creed where man cannot be his own deity.

For more reading on this, read “Either God is God or man is god” and “COEXIST.”

Bottom line: Not all religions are the same.

2) Which work of antiquity is considered to be the most accurate rendering of the original text? The Illiad by Homer or the New Testament?

a) The New Testament
b) The Illiad

When looking to verify the validity of any ancient text, you’re looking at two things:

How many original manuscripts (MSS) do we have today?
How long was it before the first copy and the initial writing of the text in question?

The Iliad, by Homer is considered to be classic and was a standard in intellectual circles for centuries. Look at how the two works compare with one another in terms of textual integrity:

Textual Integrity of the New Testament
work	when written	earliest copy	time span	# of copies
Homer (Iliad)	900 B.C.	400 B.C.	500 years	1,757
New Testament	40-100 A.D.	125 A.D.	25 years	23,769
originally quoted from “Evidence that Demands a Verdict” and since updated according to “The Bibliographical Test Updated“

From a purely academic standpoint, the New Testament is the most academically verifiable work of antiquity that we have today.

To read more about this, head out to “The Accuracy of Scripture: Part Two – The New Testament.”

Bottom line: The New Testament is an accurate rendering of the original text.

3) What did the early disciples gain by insisting that Jesus had risen from the grave?

a) Wealth
b) Power
c) Fame
d) none of the above

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Dietrich Bonhoeffer said it best when he said, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.”

There are no historical records that document how the apostles died, but there is certainly no documentation that suggests they got wealthy or became powerful. Instead, the only traditions that exist are those that say they all suffered a martyr’s death. John wrote the book of Revelation from the island of Patmos (Rev 1:9) and he may have been the only apostle who died of natural causes.

The thing to notice, however, is that if the resurrection of Christ was nothing more than a marketing campaign that could be used to make money and promote one’s social and political status, the reputation of the disciples would’ve been far better documented and underscored as something other than how to become a disciple of Christ, you must take up your cross and die. (Mk 8:34-35; Lk 9:23; Gal 5:24).

Bottom line: You don’t become a Christian to improve yourself. Rather, you become a Christian when you’re ready to surrender yourself (Lk 14:33; Rom 6:13).

4) Simeon bar Kosba was a second century Jew that was endorsed as the Messiah by the greatest rabbi of the time, Akiva ben Yosef. Why is he not more well known?

a) he didn’t win any military battles
b) the Romans didn’t have to work hard to defeat him
c) because he’s dead

Simeon bar Kosba is not more well known because he’s dead.

H.P. Liddon said in one of his more well known sermons, “Faith in the resurrection is the very keystone of the arch of Christian faith, and, when it is removed, all must inevitably crumble into ruin.” (“The Power of Christ’s Resurrection“) He makes a good point in that Jesus didn’t just preach and perform, He died and came back to life. That what makes Christ distinctive and what makes Christianity such a standout in that a Christian doesn’t put their faith in a messenger or a great teacher. Rather, they are putting their faith in God Incarnate.

The Bible is very transparent about this when it says, “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.” (1 Cor 15:19). It is the Resurrection that makes all the difference and that is why we know about Jesus Christ and all of the others who claimed messianic status don’t even register.

Bottom line: The reason we worship Christ and don’t just remember Him is because His tomb is empty.

5) Which miracle did Jesus say would prove that He was the Son of God?

a) healed people who were blind
b) feeding of the 5,000
c) his death and resurrection
d) bringing Lazarus back to life

Jesus stated specifically that what would “prove” that He was the Son of God was His death and Resurrection:

He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here. (Matt 12:39-41)

Bottom line: Jesus, through His Resurrection, demonstrated His Authority over death and, ultimately, His Authority over all things (Matt 28:18-20).

6) When you see a painting, you see a painter. When you see a building, you see a builder. When you see a cupcake, you see a baker. When an atheist looks at the universe, he sees…

a) an accident
b) a cosmos created by a loving God
c) the work of an impersonal deity

The Pew Research Center, in their survey entitled, “Views About Human Evolution Among Atheists” concluded that the vast majority of atheists and agnostics believe that human beings are the result of Natural Selection. And for those who are looking for a scientific sounding reason to deny the need for God to have created the heavens and the earth can find what they’re looking for in articles such as “The Big Bang Didn’t Need God to Start Universe, Researchers Say.”¹

The problem with the atheistic approach is that, regardless of how they attempt to explain the origin of the universe, they can’t do so without assuming the preexistence of the necessary matter and processes that have the capacity to somehow combine into a molecule.

For example, some want to assert the idea that a quantum vacuum qualifies as absolute nothingness and fluctuations within this quantum vacuum could conceivably create an entire universe.

Sir Isaac Newton

Sir Isaac Newton. A brilliant scientist that is aptly described by a quote coming from Neil deGrasse Tyson, when he was asked which scientist he would like to meet. He responded by saying, “Isaac Newton. No question about it. The smartest person ever to walk the face of this earth. The man was connected to the universe in spooky ways. He discovered the laws of motion, the laws of gravity, the laws of optics. Then he turned 26.”⁴

It’s an insanely unlikely scenario, but what makes it even more absurd is the fact that however a “quantum vacuum” implies the complete absence of matter, it is actually a sea of fluctuating energy. So, with that theory, however popular it may be, it is nevertheless a self-defeating axiom because it isn’t a vacuum at all.

Dr. William Lane Craig is a member of nine professional societies, including the American Philosophical Association, the Science and Religion Forum, the American Scientific Afflilation, and the Philsophy of Time Society. He’s written several books and he makes a great observation about the nonsensical plight of the atheist who wants to eliminate God from the debate pertaining to the origin of the universe, specifically when attempting to use the idea that a quantum vacuum can produce life as we know it in that quantum physics has to have a starting point and you can’t use it to explain itself.

…you’ve got to account for how this very active ocean of fluctuating energy came into being…If quantum physical laws operate within the domain described by quantum physics, you can’t legitimately use quantum physics to explain the origin of that domain itself.²

Atheists often attempt to validate their position by declaring their theories to be rooted in science, yet their explanations are rarely observable let alone repeatable. And however cynical they may be when it comes to faith based paradigms pertaining to the origin of the cosmos, they seemingly forget that some of the greatest scientific minds that humanity has ever produced saw their scientific vocation in distinctively Christian terms.

…here’s a partial list of leading scientists who were believers: Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, Brahe, Descrates, Bolye, Newton, Leibiz, Gassendi, Pascal, Mersenne, Cuvier, Harvey, Dalton, Faraday, Herschel, Joule, Lyell, Lavoisier, Priestley, Levin, Ohm, Ampere, Steno, Pasteur, Maxwell, Palnck, Mendel. A good number of these scientists were clergymen. Gassendi and Mersenne were priests. So was Georges Lemaitre, the Belgian astronomer who first proposed the “Big Bang” theory of the universe. Mendel, whose discovery of the principles of heredity would provide vital support for the theory of evolution, spent his entire life as a monk in an Augustinian monastery. Where would science be without these men? Some were Protestant and some were Catholic, but all saw their scientific vocation in distinctively Christian terms.³

In short, however dogmatic atheists may be in declaring the universe to be a byproduct of purely random and unexplainable phenomenon, their logic is quickly revealed as being more metaphysical baggage that scientific integrity. The beauty and mathematical elegance of creation is so compelling in terms of the way it points to God, that to dismiss Him with theories that require massive probability values in order for them to be plausible is simply not reasonable.

For more information, read, “I Dare You: Part One-Creation.”

Bottom line: Everything that’s been made has a Maker (Rom 1:20).

7) What does man deserve from God?

a) an explanation
b) a verdict
c) an accommodation

Some want to believe that if God doesn’t function in the way they believe He should behave, that proves He doesn’t exist. You’ll hear some suggest that if God was everything He claimed to be, there wouldn’t be any natural disasters or nonsensical tragedies.

Others want to believe that they deserve a special accommodation, in that their conduct isn’t as bad as others and for that reason they should be granted some kind of Divine concession rather than the judgement they would otherwise receive.

But every bit of pain and suffering is a result of a choice that humanity, not only made in the Garden of Eden, but the choice that every human being makes every day when they walk up to God as He’s sitting on His Throne and tells Him to get out of their chair (Gen 2:17; Ps 14:1; Rom 3:12).

What makes sin so toxic isn’t just the sin itself as much as it’s Who you’re sinning against (Is: 40:12-14; 45:9-10).

When you take an honest inventory of Who God is, the idea that a human being would have the audacity to disobey Him or to rebel against Him is unconscionable, and yet..; .

…that’s what we do all day, every day (Rom 3:23).

He made it clear that the consequences of sin would have a terrible impact, not just in the context of eternal judgment, but even in the context of natural disasters (Rom 8:19-21). This is what we choose and for that reason we deserve a verdict and nothing less.

But while we chose to rebel against Him, He nevertheless chose to save us (Rom 5:8). The havoc we brought upon ourselves, the death that we choose everyday, the rebellion we stage and the consequences we embrace are all a result of a sinful disposition against God and not because of a weak or an indifferent God.

It’s not that you accept or dismiss the pain caused by a tragedy as an unavoidable curse leveled against humanity by a cruel deity. Instead, you regard it as a chosen part of the human experience that God in His Grace offers to help, heal, and ultimately redeem.

But in order to experience that redemption and assistance, you first have to be able to admit that you need redemption and assistance, and that’s why Christianity is such a challenge for some. They would rather pretend to be their own absolute so they can be evaluated according to a standard of their own making, rather than have to answer to their Creator and be told that they can’t secure admission into heaven according to their own merit.

Bottom line: “You contribute nothing to your salvation except the sin that made it necessary.” (Jonathan Edwards)

The Truth | Part One Ask the Right Questions • The Truth | Part Two: Ask the Right Questions About Christianity

1. “The Big Bang Didn’t Need God to Start Universe, Researchers Say”, Mike Wall, June 24, 2012, space.com, https://www.space.com/16281-big-bang-god-intervention-science.html, accessed January 20, 2025
2. “The Case For a Creator”, Lee Strobel, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI, 2004, p101
3. “What’s So Great About Christianity”, Dinesh D’Souza, Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois, 2007, p99
4. “Neil deGrasse Tyson > Quotes > Quotable Quote”, goodreads.com, https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/598930-when-asked-about-which-scientist-he-d-like-to-meet-neil, accessed January 20, 2025

About Bruce

October 5, 2024/0 Comments/in Muscular Christianity/by Bruce Gust

Bruce is originally from a small town in upstate New York called Hilton. Two weeks after graduating High School, he was at Parris Island, South Carolina engaging the rigorous process one goes through in order to earn the right to wear the uniform of a United States Marine. He would serve for nine years, five of which were spent as a Drum Instructor at the Armed Forces School of Music before being honorably discharged and moving to Nashville, Tennessee.

The move was inspired in part by a great opportunity to be the drummer on the first, “Young Messiah Tour” in 1990 which featured a “who’s who” of Contemporary Christian Music performers. After the tour concluded, Bruce would experience first hand the term, “starving artist” as he labored to keep his dream of being a full time musician alive with various playing opportunities leading Praise and Worship for Youth Groups from behind a drumset and supplementing his “proud but incremental” income with a job at the greatest fast food restaurant on the planet: Chick Fil A.

During this time he was rehearsing with a quality group of individuals he had met through various church affiliations that would go on to form the group, “Western Flyer.” It’s here where Bruce would be able to enjoy the rare and special experience of having a record deal and hear his band on the radio and see it listed on the Country Music charts.

After “Western Flyer” came off the road, Bruce secured a position with a local Christian publishing company. It wasn’t long after beginning his career with LifeWay that he was diagnosed with Osteoarthritis in his hips and underwent bilateral hip replacement surgery. While fitness had always been a priority, with the sense of urgency that came with the need to take care of his new prostheses, diet and exercise took on a whole new look. Thus began a passionate pursuit of dietary and training solutions that would find their ultimate expression in “Muscular Christianity.”

Beyond fitness, the need to be spiritually ripped and being able to answer the question “Why you would want to be spiritually ripped,” is Bruce’s passion. As a father, as a Youth Pastor, as a Small Group teacher – the central theme is to present Christ as a comprehensive Game Changer and not just a Divine Emergency Kit. He makes opportunities obvious (Ps 139:16; Lk 2:27-32; Rom 12:1-2), victories achievable (1 Sam 17:45-47; Ps 44:3; Neh 2:8; Acts 12:6-7) , the trivial becomes significant (Zec 4:10; Matt 16:9-10; 1 Cor 1:28-30) and defeats are now mere stepping stones (Rom 8:28; Acts 16:7). “All things at all times having all that you need…(2 Cor 9:6-7)!”

Do you smell that? That’s the aroma of excellence and THAT’s “Muscular Christianity!”

Bruce is a certified Group Fitness Instructor, a licensed pastor and a published writer. He and his wife Michelle have three children and live in Thompsons Station, Tennessee

various accolades and accomplishments

nine year veteran USMC
NCO of the Quarter, First Marine Brigade
Honor Graduate, Intermediate Course, Armed Forces School of Music
attended night school for six of the nine years he served in the Corps and earned his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration
Navy Achievement Medal awarded for five year tour of duty as Drum Instructor at the Armed Forces School of Music
drummer on the inaugural “Young Messiah Tour” which was the most successful and well attended Contemporary Christian Music tour up to that point
national recording artist with the band, “Western Flyer”
endorsed by Taye Drums, Pintech Percussion and Peavey Sound Systems
ordained pastor
Youth Pastor and Music Minister at New Hope Baptist Church
Music Minister at The Bridge
authored the official Bible Study that was released with the movie, “Left Behind” starring Nicholas Cage
Certified Group Fitness Instructor
Black Belt, Tae Kwon Do