Summary:

There’s a lesson that many people don’t learn until it’s too late: Keep your life straight. This

week on the Simple Talk podcast, the Honorable Allen B. Clark talks about the importance of

having thoughtful priorities and keeping all aspects of your life moving forward along a good

path. Clark is a West Point graduate who volunteered for a tour in Vietnam as a military

intelligence officer. Just weeks before his tour was set to be over, he sustained serious injuries

in a mortar attack. He ultimately lost both of his legs.

Along with his physical injuries, Clark struggled emotionally with the new trajectory his life had

taken. He’d planned on being a career officer and found himself having to envision a different

future. He went into business and then politics, working in state office and later, as a

presidential nominee to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. “The Lord didn’t promise us a

rose garden,” Clark says. You will encounter challenges and trials along the way. But by

maintaining a strong spiritual connection and keeping your life, family, and faith straight, he

says, you can reach your full potential.

This Week’s Takeaways:

-Forgive yourself for past mistakes

-Never give up on your goals

-Strive for heart knowledge, not just head knowledge

-Don’t let ego dominate your actions

-Practice good daily habits for a structured life

Quotes:

“To keep my life straight, I need to forgive all others all the time, no matter whether I want to or

not. I don’t need to harbor the resentment.” -Allen B. Clark

“The Lord didn’t promise us a rose garden. … And the world is not a rose garden, by any

stretch. You’re going to be beset and besieged — what I call tactical spiritual warfare on you

individually — to get at you, to tear you down, to bring stress into your life, to bring conflict into

your life. So, you’ve got to keep yourself straight so the demon spirits tactically cannot get at

you.” -Allen B. Clark

“If you don’t have your spiritual connection, nothing else matters.” -Allen B. Clark

“Love your family first and foremost outside of the Lord. Be loyal to them, take care of them,

love them.” -Allen B. Clark

“Pay attention to friends. Take care of them, just like you want them to take care of you.

Develop and encourage friendships.” - Allen B. Clark

“It’s really painful if you have everything, and you don’t have anything.” -Wayne McCullough

Contact:

You can find out more about the Honorable Allen B. Clark’s work through Combat Faith at

http://www.combatfaith.com/. He’s also written three books, which are all available on Amazon:

-Valor in Vietnam: Chronicles of Honor, Courage, and Sacrifice, 1963-1977

-Soldiers’ Blood and Bloodied Money: Wars and the Ruling Elites

-Wounded Soldier, Healing Warrior: A Personal Story of a Vietnam Veteran Who Lost His Legs

But Found His Soul