"Damn the Torpedoes, Full Speed Ahead!"
Thursday, September 17, 2026
"The best way out is always through." - Robert Frost, American poet
I like this quote by Robert Frost, who was the only poet to win four Pulitzer Prizes, because it conveys a simple but profound truth. No wonder he was named America’s Poet Laureate in 1958 and received the Congressional Gold Medal in 1960.
What Frost is trying to communicate through those seven little words is this: life is a choice. When confronted by a challenge or an obstacle, you can either face it head-on without flinching or follow the path of least resistance by avoiding the problem altogether. Those who adopt the former approach usually achieve great things and deepen their faith in the process. However, those who “wimp out” often live inconsequential lives of quiet desperation.
I don’t know about you, dear reader, but I refuse to be counted among the latter group of weak-kneed and spineless “passengers” who simply drift aimlessly through life. I would much rather take my lumps and suffer a few bumps and bruises, scrapes and scars along life’s way as evidence that I was a fighter and a doer.
And yes, as proof that I had enough faith and courage to face – with God’s help and strength – whatever life threw at me. After all, God holds me in the palm of His hand just like He does all true believers, so the only things that enter into my life are the things that He allows… and I am 100% cool with that!
I imagine that Admiral Daniel Glasgow Farragut had the same attitude and approach during the Battle of Mobile Bay on August 5, 1864. When the USS Tecumseh struck a tethered mine (known as a torpedo) in the harbor and sank, the rest of Farragut’s fleet began to turn around. Farragut, who had climbed to the top of the rigging in order to see through the smoke of the cannon fire, barked the following order…
“Damn the torpedoes,” Farragut shouted, “Four bells, Captain Drayton, go ahead, Jouett, full speed!”
The USS Hartford, under Farragut’s command, and most of the rest of his fleet succeeded in entering the bay, capturing Fort Morgan and Fort Gaines, and defeating the Confederate squadron led by Admiral Franklin Buchanan.
“I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them out of My hand.” John 10:28 (BSB)
- Rev. Dale M. Glading, President
