Enthusiasm, tests, nerves and white knuckles

This weekend we had a belt test at the karate school I attend.
It made me think of a CD I listen to of the great motivational legend Earl Nightingale.  He made the statement that enthusiasm is something that can be generated by two things:

 

• Learning
• Goals

An Apple a Day . . .  uh that's an Apple for the Teacher: never mind.

 

he went on to say how wanting to learn a task keeps us interested and working towards that goal.  it didn't matter if it was large or small just to learn something actively.  Secondly the accomplishment of that goal was a way of feeling that enthusiasm as well.  there is perhaps nothing better than that feel of a job well done.  its an emotion that is hard to explain but worth the pain and effort!  But this also made me think of something else.  Children are natural learners and tend to have enthusiasm, but adults seem to loose the ability to learn and cease many times from being exited or enthusiastic about things.  It is very sad, since we have more years of adult life than we do of childhood. 

 

Shouldn't we be the ones to lead the way for our children in learning and excitement?

 

I loved being a judge in the belt tests, but only after I settled down from the initial shock.  Let me explain.  The children and a few adults were being tested, so they were "on the spot" and nervous.  One girl was testing for her 1st Dan, so I could see the concern in her face.  Don't worry, she did fine and nailed all her techniques and kata. I am entering a new area of my life as well, I am a black belt, but I am also being trained to instruct as time goes on and learning Kobudo as well.  I've stepped into a realm that I was not completely familiar with and as a result, now am both conscious and sympathetic of the students while they were testing.  Many times, we think that some judges or proctors may be "unfair" or "harsh".  Maybe they are, or there just jerks.  I do not know in all situations.  However in this case I realized once again that karate and martial arts is about growth.  Not just the growth of power and technique, but about the person as a whole.
We can be sympathetic empathetic and continue to grow just as the lower ranks are striving for the coveted black belt.

 

By the way, I told Hannah (The girl who tested for 1st Dan) that all of us should continue to learn.  From adult down to child, we should be life long learners.

Your Brother in Christ

And  Senpai in Karate 

先輩

Battling windmills with Paper Airplanes

I consider myself to be a bit of a cynic, yet miss the mark on many occasions.  Maybe this is true wisdom. I haven't found out yet.
I noticed something recently from Bible reading and deep thought.  Proverbs says that "A brother offended is harder to be won than a walled city . . . "  and it seems in our society today that there are many arguments both political, social and religious that have de-evolved into nothing more than a shouting match of words and epithets.  Now, I don't mean that this has happened completely, because there are a lot of arguments out there that are not done with an ill spirit to hurt.  It does seem that all the ones that make it to national attention are hyper-emotional and do nothing but get people worked up and only serve to harden a persons opinion in the way it was already going.



This is really a depressing thought.



What I would like to share with you is a word warriors few thoughts of interest on battling the dragon windmill of social debate from, perhaps  an "antiquated"  world view:

1. Love thy Enemies. . . 
2. Be as wise as serpents and harmless as doves . . .
3. To win without fighting is the greatest (method)

I spent quite a few years in street evangelism to realize that in speaking to random people you will get a percentage of people that just want to argue.  What causes this arguing?  A psychologist would give you many answers.  I would narrow it down to one primary reason: Pride

"Contention cometh only by pride . . ."

Pride in the opposition that they hold, or that they are offended, busy or are just plain old curmudgeons!  But even in this, do we love those people in humanity?  An important point to remember is that it is generally not the argument people hate in a debate.  It becomes the person.


it's hard to remember that we wish to win a person to our side and not vanquish that person.  I heard a preacher say (in giving some advice to a person who asked)  that "I don't argue with people, because I already know what I believe".  It's a whole new ball game when we realize, if we are sold on an idea and really know our material, loving, tolerating, forgiving that argumentative curmudgeon is really the best way to keep our cool and strive to leave an impact that doesn't come from an ax kick to the head!




I don't care about winning the Battle, I want to win the war for an eternal soul!

Your Brother in Christ

And  Senpai in Karate 

先輩

Abject Exercise

This may seem like an odd title, well... that's because it is. I was thinking the other day of some odd, off the cuff sayings I've heard over the years.  A few of them that come to mind are:

Anyone over 40 who still does martial arts actually practices "Kung-Old-fool"

karate, ha?  Bet you can't stop a bullet!

Having said these obviously pithy but silly sayings, lets look at my title:

"Abject Exercise"

Two seemingly in-congruent words, but they can best describe an adults self consciousness while practicing the martial arts.  Yes, the arts are for self confidence, self defense and even, in some cases, philosophical and spiritual training; but where did the word "abject" come in?
Usually from the meaning and connotation of something that is extremely destitute or embarrassingly bad.  This kind of describes the self image of your average neophyte.  It is odd to the outsider to wear the traditional do-gi (Gi  for short) and practice some of these odd customs.  It is also awkward to attempt to follow the stretches, kicks and punches of a person who is a seasoned practitioner of said martial arts.

One of my Senseis from many years ago would do some traditional Shotokan kicking drills in a forward stance for about 50 feet up and down the mat. These drills consisted of a front kick, round house kick and back kick, landing in the forward stance, then start over again.  He would always comment how visitors thought it was totally awesome to see these dynamic kicks. The were usually enthusiastic about starting.  It was quite another matter after the enthusiasm wore off and muscles were sore.

The new student does not understand the time involved to train to the level of the people they had seen!

The type of learning in the martial arts would best be described by psychologists as observational learning. In short, we see, we do.  Observational learning has four elements:

• Attention
• Memory
• Imitation
• Motivation

I will attempt to keep my thoughts on these four elements short, so for the sake of brevity here is a synopsis:

1. Attention:  We must pay attention.  We tend to listen to a person who is proficient, or has the influence to be in charge.
2. Memory: If we pay attention, we should retain (knowledge).  A good instructor is able to break things down to a great degree.
3. Imitation:  This is what gets us in trouble.  Some are naturally uncoordinated and it may take time for the brain to connect with the body.  Other times our pride of "What will people think?" gets us in trouble because we don't want to fail or look silly on the mat. 

Mostly the grown ups here

HELLO??  YOU ARE WEARING CLOTH PAJAMAS WITH A BELT TIED AROUND YOUR WAIST!! GET OVER IT!

      4.  Motivation:  Why did we sign up for class?  THIS is where I want to be in my   subject matter.    Lets face the facts.  There is something humbling about jumping around in colored pajamas and yelling KIAH!  but it is the goal we must keep in mind!

Goals are important.  Experts tell us to write down and set goals.  First short term goals to reach the achievable long term goals.  If you have started your "Abject exercise" routine don't give up! remember your goals!!

Your Brother in Christ

And  Senpai in Karate 

先輩

Well, here we go again

I remember quite some time back when I would search for blogs of interest and I found that they seemed abandoned.  There were great posts and then, they suddenly stopped.
It seemed like it was well over a year and I wondered what happened.

Then I started blogging and I'm in the same boat!

Some lessons are dangerous, especially if we even get slightly judgmental!

whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

 

Well, anyway I'm back again and will blog more frequently.  I spent some time teaching and going to school.  Then another bout with Okinawan weapon. So now I am involved in the practice of learning Bo, Tonfa and Kama forms. Perhaps I was remiss in continuing my blog, but I have found out the hard way that there are only so many hours in the day. I need my time with my family, then I gave an extra emphasis to Bible study, two to three days a week to Karate and a 5 day a week secular job working nights.

It must always be remembered to keep priorities straight, and after God and family we order all other things.  This time I will be more frequent until I unveil my next blog.  I am currently working on another project, which I hope to start in September, but I do want to keep some of my karate thoughts on the front burner as well.

Stay tuned for my next installments!

Your Brother in Christ

And  Senpai in Karate 

先輩

 

 

Beware the ides of March!

This day in history marks the assassination of Julius Caesar.  Historically it points to the beginning of the end of the Roman Republic and the soon beginning of the Roman empire.  Technically, the ides simply means "the middle" IE the 15th of march.

Why remember this?

Without getting into Shakespeare and his historical plays, I want to talk about social paradigms.

Social paradigms seem to change  from generation to generation.  To quote Ronald Reagan

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction"

 After the proverbial smoke cleared from Caesar's assassination, we find the birth of an iron-fisted empire that has influenced the Western world beyond our imagination! 

A little humor, if you get it... get it??

We live in the 21st century.  We can call this modern or post-modern times.  Perhaps history's lessons are lost in a few generations.  This is especially true when we look at the books of Kings and Chronicles!  The Bible commands us to pray for our leaders that we may live quiet lives.  We are also commanded to pray for our leaders, pay taxes and obey the laws of the land (provided they do not contradict the basics of the Word of God).

So where does this lead us to?

Simply this.  In all the activities of our culture upheaval we have a command from the Bible.
Yes I'm talking about Ferguson, race bating and a government that appears to be out of control.  I'm sure both sides of the political spectrum can agree that things are getting worse!

Of course, these are all symptoms of a greater problem:



A life, a family, and a culture without Jesus in it!
If we can get Jesus in the middle of our lives, family and culture many of our social evils will disappear!


Any thoughts?

Your Brother in Christ

And  Senpai in Karate 

先輩

Saturday the 14th is Worse

Sometimes we need a silly day.
Saturday the 14th was the name of a really corny B movie for kids. The movie was bad, but the pun is
just too tempting.

Today is also "Pi day"  You know 3.1415, or 22/7??  (March 14, 2015)
It's a silly day but kind of fun because for the most part, America views mathematics as a non fun thing and impractical; that is, unless you are a math geek.

I am not. 

In fact, I have always hated math until I had to fight for a few years to re-teach junior high school mathematics to adult students, and I'm here to tell you that some days it can really hurt.

But, from this experience I gleaned some very valuable lessons:

1. You are never too old to learn

2. If something is practical and useful, people will learn it (provided they want to)

3. Math is all about solving problems (provided we remember the second rule)

In a way, this sounds like Isaac Asimov's  three laws of robotics, but not quite.

To make a long story short, Pi (the 16th letter of the Greek alphabet) is the symbol used for the ratio of the number of times the diameter of a circle goes into it's circumference.  With a few numbers and multiplication or division we can figure out

• The area of a circle
• The diameter of a circle
• Any area or volume of a given object
• The amount of wire on a spool or coil (with a small margin of error)
• The amount of material needed to cover or build something

In many ways, a simple math formula is like a karate kata or a doctrine in the Bible. 
It has a deep practical application if we will but take the time to learn. We can actually walk away smarter, better informed, and having made a better decision than if we had otherwise ignored the sage advice.


Now, the Bible and Word of God are of infinitely more value, but can we not glean an understating of the importance of The Word of God  from the simple (or not so simple things in mathematics) things around us?

Your Brother in Christ

And  Senpai in Karate 

先輩

Friday the 13th

Have you ever wondered why Friday the 13th is so "unlucky"?
Once again we see, as a society, our superstitious side come out.  Add a dash of coincidence and synchronicity and we are lead to believe in something that may, or may not be true.




Friday the 13th













For the most part, figuring it out is sort of like finding out what's in a hot dog. 


You may be surprised, amused or disgusted!




The 13th was considered unlucky because tradition tells us that was the day Jesus was betrayed and crucified.


The number 13 is unlucky, once again by tradition because there were 13 present at the last supper.


The number 13 is absolutely disrespected in my opinion.  It is a prime number and valuable in math.
In Japan, they consider numbers like "4" to be unlucky and a black cat is actually good luck.


It's all in the culture.


Sometimes it's good to take a step back!

Your Brother in Christ

And  Senpai in Karate 

先輩

50 shades of Lent

This past week  is celebrated for being the week of Mardi Gras, but what was and usually overlooked is the fact that it also marked the beginning of the more orthodox season of Lent

I did not need spell check, I said lent.  The Lenten season is a 6 week observance in the Catholic and closely tied protestant churches which are supposed to be marked by prayer, fasting and affliction. 

More on this later.

When I became born-again, and accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and savior I began reading the Bible.  This led to Bible College and a serious and lifelong study of God’s word.  I departed from many of my Catholic upbringings and teachings.  But now, after over 20 years in “this way” I have noticed that Protestants whether they be Baptist, Pentecostal or any other, tend to be just as ensconced in some traditions as the orthodoxy.  At one point, when I saw a Muslim man I know celebrate Ramadan, I was saddened that all the world’s religions seem to fast and pray but it doesn’t seem to do any good, and for “Christianity to have a mandatory season of fasting makes us look like everyone else”   instead of different, set apart and a Peculiar (special) people unto God (1 Peter 2:9).  I had been in a church organization whose senior pastor frowned on fasting and said “. . .  that’s only to get control over your flesh” and discouraged people to practice it.

The fact is that there are wonderful health and spiritual benefits to fasting- provided it is done properly.  It all comes down to a matter of where our hearts are.  There are people that will enter into the season of Lent begrudgingly, not realizing it is to reflect on Easter and the greatest event in human history: the resurrection of Jesus Christ!  There are people that think that lent and fasting makes them holy or more honorable than their neighbor, and they have their reward (Matthew 6:16)

Believe it or not, in the Philippines a group of people called the Flagellants will crucify and whip themselves as an attempt to grain favor with God.

The flagellantes in practice

Often we look at movies like the recent “Fifty Shades of Grey” and are appalled by the content of strange sexual practices on the big screen.  It seems to normalize the aberrant and the degrading of women.

Is there much of a difference between people who seek sexual gratification from bizarre acts and people who think they will gain favor with people by bizarre religious acts?  My point is simply this:  devotions with no understanding and improper motives should be viewed in the same light; unacceptable and sacrilegious.

Right is right, wrong is wrong and sin is sin.  Call it all for what it is.

But before we speak, Let’s make sure  we have the higher moral ground to stand on, and it can all be done in love . . .  uh. . .  unlike the kind that 50 shades if passing for!

Sincerely 

Your Brother in Christ

And  Senpai in Karate 

先輩

 

 

Loneliness or Being alone

There is often a thought I have anywhere around the holidays, and that is of people that are alone.  Our society is one in which we value the individual: individual rights and the person more than the collective society.  Although most of our roots stem from European lineage here in America, we are considered an individualistic society.  Allow me to explain.  Anthropologists (generally) classify society in two groups:

1. Collectivist

2. Individualistic

A collective society is one in which the group is more important than the individual.  We see this in Asian cultures where Family and clan affiliation are all so important.  This is also seen in Latin and Northern European countries as well.

This is one reason why there is such a political and ideological gap in some arguments in our country.  Collectivist ideas are introduced into an individualistic society.  Hence the problems with government programs and over taxation, healthcare, welfare etc.  (hint ... hint)



Individualistic societies, like ours value individual freedom and work as the supreme.  This is mostly who we are as a people, but herein lies a conundrum:




The individuals path, work and choices are above all else and sometimes, with all the "getting" in life, if there is no one to give it to or share it with it becomes empty.  The emptiness I speak of is the worth of a person to his or her society.  Man kind is a social creature and not meant to be alone, but to share his/her experiences with another.  Sometimes it more important to be part of something greater than you are in just being self. 







This is one reason why people are desperate to be part of a group or club.  And as we can see from society, if people cannot get wholesome attention and friendship, then infamy and evil associations will work for them as well.  Being alone can be good, provided you know who you are; but loneliness is unbearable. 

I notice than in a healthy Dojo there are people who love the art and want to be part of something greater than them.  The program is important and gives you a sense of being something greater than you are on your own.
conversely, isn't that one of the great things about the Church?  We are individuals, but we are the Family of God, and greater as the Body of Christ that what we would be as an individual.


Sometimes we may be alone, but neither is really in loneliness.




Sincerely 

Your Brother in Christ

And  Senpai in Karate 

先輩

 

Christmas 2015

We are creatures of habit.  That is the way that God made us.  With this thought in mind, have we ever considered how much of tradition is just a habit that we have?


This time of year we are faced with much that is in the way of "Tradition" and have seemed to loose sight of it in 21st century America.  The spirit of Christmas is not Santa Claus, gift giving or partying it up, although our modern Christmas has many roots in this.


Any student of the Bible can surmise that Jesus was not born on December 25th because St Luke tells us that "Sheppherds were in the field watching their flocks by night"  he was probably born in Spring or Fall.  Many hundreds of years ago, it was thought to be a good idea that the Feast of Christmas should be celebrated around the Winter solstice. 


Why this date?


Because on the shortest day of the year, the greatest light that humankind has ever known came into the world!


Before this time, many activities happened in pagan cultures to denote the shortening of winter days, and although many people still miss the meaning, let us not forget this!


As an interesting parallel, I find that in the Martial Arts, many styles focus on "traditions" that are more cultural than factual or useful.  bowing to a picture of a dead master becomes an act of worship or mindless habit rather than respect and gratitude for what that master did for his art.


In Christianity, we tip our hat to the baby Jesus and either keep him in a barn (His birth story) or leave him in on the cross (his sacrifice and death).


How often do we let him reign in our hearts?


Have a Merry Christmas!


Sincerely 

Your Brother in Christ

And  Senpai in Karate 

先輩

 

Post 911

My wife made the best observation of this day in history and our reaction as a country. She put it on her facebook account and I asked if I could share it and she said yes.

I got me a good woman!


For those of you that are political correct lovers, please stop reading. Okay, you've been warned. Every event, especially tragedies, can be used to strengthen us so that we can go to greater heights, or we can allow it to defeat us and we can become weaker. There's lots of wonderful postings about how we 'remember' those that gave their lives on 9/11 and how we're 'grateful'. Are we? Have we used this attack on OUR soil to strengthen us, so that we support our military, stand up for Christian religious freedoms, fight to defend America? Or are we electing and supporting officials that are stripping our military; standing up for everyone's religions EXCEPT for Christian values; strengthening our borders; defending innocent Americans when they are captured on foreign lands? Lip service on an anniversary is like a man buying his wife a huge diamond, beautiful flowers and dinner at an expensive diner and then cheat on her, degrade her and live like a single frat boy the other 364 days of the year. SHAME on US, America. We need to find that passion of unity and demand that our leaders share our passion and love for our country. If not, OUT THEY GO!!! Let's truly honor the lives that were sacrificed on 9/11 because if we do not, the NEXT blood shed is not only on the terrorists, but OURS!


The thing about being a soldier, sailor, or any type of warrior is the willingness and ability to fight, but also to be ready.  I believe it was Thomas Jefferson that stated that the price of liberty and freedom was eternal vigilance. The late Ronald Reagan stated that we as Americans are only one generation away from tyranny!

5 Reasons why Atheism is Wrong

I was reading a story recently about yet another a group that mercilessly attacked a high school because the foot ball team for prayed over an injured teammate.  I want to talk about 5 reasons no one should be an atheist. 

1.  No Paid Holidays

This is actually an old Henny Youngman joke, but it's true. Our calendar has at least 7 holidays that are Christian or reflect Christian beliefs and about 11 holidays that are Jewish and penned in some calendars as well.  There's even two that could be counted as pagan: Halloween and the Vernal Equinox; even though Halloween is the eve of all Saints Day on November 1st.

2. No Moral Compass

I once took a class in introductory business law, and one of the first things the textbook outlined was the purpose and history of law.  One of the purposes of law was to establish limits on what was acceptable in society.  With the decline of the church in recent years and the rise of crimes and moral ills; a new field has come along called ethics.  Ethics tries to incorporate a standardized belief system of rights and wrongs without a true internal belief system.  In other words a morality that is not of God.  Ethics will spend much time talking about internal and external belief systems but doesn't seem to scratch the surface.  Morality and the true underpinnings of our actions come from within.  We all contain a moral compass that will always guide us, provided we let it. The danger of atheism is that an external system with no "True North" will eventually fail because of the lack of a true landmark based in the knowledge of God.  We can argue about all the dos and don'ts but there are landmarks in morality that will never change!

3.  A Blank Check

A third problem with atheism, may sound like the debate fallacy of the "Slippery slope".  In short the slippery slope is an illegal debate tactic that suggests that one action will lead to another until we have drastic consequences from one small action.  For example: an ad on television undermines tooth brush sales.  Suddenly there is a decline in the tooth brush market, which eventually leads to bad breath, rotting teeth and a rise in denture plate sales!
OK thats a bit extreme but that is the slippery slope.  Although it is not always true, the slippery slope can hold water!  A person without a God-consciousness has written a blank check to himself or herself.  If nothing is wrong, and all things are allowable human nature suggests a downward turn towards anything. Where does this new freedom end?
In the bank of humanity, this blank check will eventually become overdrawn and all of humanity will eventually become the victim . . . all for the want of what we desire!  Just look at ancient history.

4.  Bad Manners

This one may sound odd, but what is the societal norm?  All around the globe the human race (with few exceptions) is a religious people.  Despite the fact that religions differ, two things don't seem to change:  There is a God, and he is offended by sin in  humanity.  Another point is that there is a sacrifice that is required.  The correct response to this is the Blood of Jesus!
Back to bad manners. 
If the majority believe in God, is it not bad manners that a select few want to eradicate God from our society?
If everyone is driving in one direction on the freeway, why do you want to be so different?   Do you not see the danger?  Even if you take God out of the picture, do you think you help the cause of atheism by being rude?

Honestly, consider this for a minute.

5.  Denial of Basic Humanity

Without stating what I wrote above, our human society screams from history, literature, architecture, science and even technology that we acknowledge God.  We are markedly different from the lower animals and are so much more than instinct and chemical reactions.  We are creatures of reason that understand there is something beyond our nature that makes this all possible.  How can we deny what makes us what we really are: more than an animal.  We have a body, soul and spirit! We are not just one element or nature.  To deny God is to deny our humanity and make us just animals incapable of reason and true greatness!


So,, the next time someone says that they are an atheist, remind them:  YOU ARE MUCH BETTER THAN THAT! YOU ARE BETTER THAN THAT!

Oh, and there are no paid holidays either!

Sincerely 

Your Brother in Christ

And  Senpai in Karate 

先輩