When I was a pastor in Hawaii, my little congregation was near Kaneohe Marine Corps Air Station. I always had a large supply of muscular recruits.

The young, mostly single marines had great hearts but not much tact. When out of uniform and away from their sergeant, they just stood around waiting for someone to tell them what to do next.

At one of our Sunday school complaint sessions, several women teachers described their discipline problems with young boys. They couldn't control them for the hour-long Bible lesson. They had tried everything and were ready to quit.

I had a flash of insight. I grabbed a couple of marines and told them to go into those rooms the next Sunday, pile a couple of boys under each arm, "rough them up, and sit on them."

To the women, that strategy bordered on child abuse, but the boys viewed it as affection! Our discipline problems were solved by placing one marine per room with the order to pile his lap full of boys and then hold them while the teacher taught the lesson. In one Sunday I came to realize every pastor needs a "few good men"!