Probably the most asked question that everyone faces at some point is the ole “who am I?” question. It is a question that is a determination of purpose and success. One can answer for many roles in life and see a purpose and validate their success or failure. I am a father and I struggle with it. I am a husband and I am a great lover. All these questions are circulating in the heads of people as they live the daily lives.

The pioneer is the rare person, though. They still ask themselves the questions, but their response is much different than most people. Most people answer the questions out of fear of measuring up. The pioneer says to himself that he is all there is so, whether he measures up or not, this is the way it will be.

Consider the life of a pioneer. They are often mostly alone. They are going places that others have yet to go without the safety nets of community, infrastructure, government, or many other conveniences that others take for granted. They know that they have to depend on themselves for what happens in the wild. They prepare for it and take it on. Sometimes they win and sometimes they loose, but they keep going because there really is no other option.

The pursuit of the frontier is their goal, not success.

Glenn Kaiser says, “Pioneering (not based on self-fulfillment but on meeting real needs of real people) is my life. It's part of my calling. Let the fallout come, I just don't care about mass "acceptance" of the "illustrious ME"!! In the end, God and those He loves matter, He's never left me in the dirt regardless of how others have treated me. I forgive them as I trust God for His forgiveness!”

What a great picture of the pioneer mind. Go after the frontier. Be who God calls you to be and trust him for your validation instead of the success lies of the culture – acceptance, money, fame, power, etc. Kaiser knows this. He has led the church in music, worship and leadership for many years. There have been times that were hard, but God always redeems those times.

All pioneers carry that spirit in them. The one that says, “go for it because you know it is right and right is more important than the consequences of action.” Here’s to the pioneers.