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Stories/Advice
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To Fight or not to Fight?
Wild at Heart. Discovering the Secret of a Man’s Soul
Written By John Eldredge
The following is a quote from this book, with some thoughts of mine at the end.
“What’s wrong Tiger? I asked. He wouldn’t say, wouldn’t even look up. What happened? He didn’t want to talk about it. Finally, the story came out - a bully. Some first grade poser had pushed him down on the playground in front of all his friends. Tears were streaming down his cheeks as he told us the story.
“Blaine, look at me. He raised his tearful eyes slowly, reluctantly. There was shame written all over his face. I want you to listen very closely to what I am about to say. The next time that bully pushes you down, here is what I want you to do - are you listening, Blaine? He nodded, his big wet eyes fixed on mine. I want you to get up… and I want you to hit him … as hard as you possibly can. A look of embarrassed delight came over Blaine’s face. Then he smiled. Good Lord - why did I give him such advice? And why was he delighted with it? Why are some of you delighted with it, while others are appalled?”
“Yes, I know that Jesus told us to turn the other cheek. But we have really misused that verse. You cannot teach a boy to use his strength by stripping him of it. Jesus was able to retaliate, believe me. But he chose not to. And yet we suggest that a boy, who is mocked, shamed before his fellows, stripped of all power and dignity should stay in that beaten place because Jesus wants him there? You will emasculate him for life. From that point on he will be passive and fearful. He will grow up never knowing how to stand his ground, never knowing if he is a man indeed. Oh yes, he will be courteous, sweet even, deferential, minding all his manners. It may look moral, it may look like turning the other cheek, but it is merely weakness. You cannot turn a cheek you do not have. Our churches are full of such men.” (And so is our world)
“At that moment, Blaine’s soul was hanging in the balance. Then the fire came back into his eyes and the shame disappeared. But for many, many men their souls still hang in the balance because no one, no one has ever invited them to be dangerous, to know their own strength, to discover that they have what it takes. I feel there is this stormy ocean within me, and I keep trying to make those waters calm and placid, confessed a young friend in his early twenties. I would love to be dangerous, he said, sighing. You mean... it’s possible? I feel like I have to ask permission. Why on earth would a young man have to ask permission to be a man? Because the assault continues long after the wound has been given I don’t mean to create a wrong impression-a man is not wounded once, but many, many times in the course of his life. Nearly every blow ends up falling in the same place: against his strength. Life takes it away, one vertebra at a time, until in the end he has no spine at all”.
This book is written primarily for Men. I’m sure many Women, and some men, would disagree with this ideal.
I think to totally understand the whole concept you need to read the whole book. I do however agree with the logic. Children can not walk away from a fight until they have confidence in themselves. They need to be able to do this not out of weakness but out of strength. This is one of the most powerful reasons for taking Karate, in my opinion. Courage and self-confidence are the backbone of Karate. Knowing you are able to defend yourself or others in need does not mean you have to use it. However if children, or adults, do not have this self-confidence, then they will run in weakness, only to be attacked over and over. Weather this attack is physical, verbal, or emotional. It is my hope, that what ever your personal philosophy is, that you will gain the self-confidence to stand up for what is right, stand up for yourself, stand up for others, when that time comes. I hope Karate will help give you that strength. Not just through the ability to fight, but be the lessons you have learned by performing in front of other people, testing in front of other people, learning to speak up and announce your Kata loudly, Tournaments, or state the precepts out loud. All of these actions are to help the student become more self-confident. This is an on going and never ending process. Our goal is the process. Like the word Kaizen “constant and never ending improvement, our beginner’s creed “I will learn to do my best”, our school motto “Honor in All things”, and our theme Hitotsu Makato O No Michi O Mamoru Koto “To protect/Defend the paths of Truth”.
Karate is only the vehicle to achieve these ideals.
Sensei, Marlon Moore 7th degree Black Belt
Shared by an anonymous doctor
A couple of days ago I was running (I use that term very loosely) on my treadmill, watching a DVD sermon by Louie Giglio... And I was BLOWN AWAY! I want to share what I learned.... But I fear not being able to convey it as well as I want. I will share anyway.
He (Louie) was talking about how inconceivably BIG our God is... How He spoke the universe into being... How He breathes stars out of His mouth that are huge raging balls of fire.. . Etc... Etc. Then He went on to speak of how this star-breathing, universe creating God ALSO knitted our human bodies together with amazing detail and wonder. At this point I am LOVING it (fascinating from a medical standpoint, you know.)... And I was remembering how I was constantly amazed during medical school as I learned more and more about God’s handiwork. I remember so many times thinking... ’How can ANYONE deny that a Creator did all of this???’
Louie went on to talk about how we can trust that the God who created all this, also has the power to hold it all together when things seem to be falling apart..how our loving Creator is also our sustainer.
And then I lost my breath. And it wasn’t because I was running my treadmill, either!!!
It was because he started talking about laminin. I knew about laminin. Here is how Wikipedia describes them: ’Laminins are a family of proteins that are an integral part of the structural scaffolding of basement membranes in almost every animal tissue.’ You see... Laminins are what hold us together.. LITERALLY. They are cell adhesion molecules. They are what holds one cell of our bodies to the next cell. Without them, we would literally fall apart. And I knew all this already. But what I didn’t know is what they LOOKED LIKE.
But now I do. And I have thought about it a thousand times since (already)... Here is what the structure of laminin looks like... AND THIS IS NOT a ’Christian portrayal’ of it. If you look up laminin in any scientific/medical piece of literature, this is what you will see...
Now tell me that our God is not the coolest!!! Amazing. The glue that holds us together..... ALL of us.... Is in the shape of the cross. Immediately Colossians 1:15-17 comes to mind.
’He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created; things in heaven and on earth, visible And invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in Him all things HOLD TOGETHER. ’ (Colossians 1:15-17)
Call me crazy. I just think that is very, very, very cool. Thousands of years before the world knew anything about laminin, Paul penned those words. And now we see that from a very LITERAL standpoint, we are held together... One cell to another... By the cross. You would never in a quadrillion years convince me that is anything Other than the mark of a Creator who knew EXACTLY what laminin ’glue’ would look like long before Adam breathed his first breath!!
What an amazing God.
Fruit of the Spirit, what does it look like?
The closer you get to believers who are truly walking in the Spirit, the better they look. There is nothing plastic about them. You don’t get the impression that they are hiding something. They radiate integrity. You get the impression you could trust them with your most intimate secret. You may even find yourself opening up to them in a way that is uncharacteristic for you.Intimidation is not their game. They don’t rely on personality and trumped-up enthusiasm to win you over. They seem to be at peace with who they are, and they seem almost anxious to accept you for who you are as well. For that reason, you may feel drawn to them. They are the people you find yourself wanting to be like, not because of a particular skill or talent, but because of the depth of their character. The fruit of the Spirit was never intended to be a demonstration of our dedication and resolve. It is the evidence of our dependency on and sensitivity to the promptings of the Spirit. The mark of Spirit-filled men and women is the fruit they bear. Fruit is the standard by which our walk with God can be measured. The Bible is crystal clear on this point. Jesus said, “You will know them by their fruits.” Just as unconditional love shines brightest in the midst of our differences, so the fruit of the Spirit demonstrates its divine source when circumstances and relationships take a turn for the worse. The reason is the fruit of the Spirit is just that: fruit produced by the Spirit. It is not fragile. It is not subject to change. Its root is deeply embedded in the person of Christ. When we abide in Him and allow Him to live through us, the result is character that endures the chaos of life.
The fruit of the Spirit is:
Love…for those who do not love in return.
Joy…in the midst of painful circumstances.
Peace…when something you were counting on doesn’t come through.
Patience…when things aren’t going fast enough for you.
Kindness…toward those who treat you unkindly.
Goodness…toward those who have been intentionally insensitive to you.
Faithfulness…when friends have proved unfaithful.
Gentleness…toward those who have handled you roughly.
Self-control…in the mist of intense temptation.
Cherokee Legend
Do you know the legend of the Cherokee Indian youth’s rite of Passage?
His father takes him into the forest, blindfolds him an leaves him alone. He is required to sit on a stump the whole night and not remove the blindfold until the rays of the morning sun shine through it. He cannot cry out for help to anyone.
Once he survives the night, he is a MAN.He cannot tell the other boys of this experience, because each lad must come into manhood on his own. The boy is naturally terrified. He can hear all kinds of noises. Wild beasts must surely be all around him . Maybe even some human might do him harm. The wind blew the grass and earth, and shook his stump, but he sat stoically, never removing the blindfold. It would be the only way he could become a man! Finally, after a horrific night the sun appeared and he removed his blindfold. It was then that he discovered his father sitting on the stump next to him. He had been at watch the entire night, protecting his son from harm.We, too, are never alone. Even when we don’t know it, God is watching over us, Sitting on the stump beside us. When trouble comes,
all we have to do is reach out to Him.
Moral of the story: Just because you can’t see God, Doesn’t mean He is not there.
"For we walk by faith, not by sight."
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Dojo precepts,
And a Christian perspective
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Our Dojo precepts were written many years ago by some Japanese Martial Arts master. No one truly knows who wrote these and when they were written. The italicized are my thoughts from a Christian perspective.
Sensei
1-Uphold the principles of propriety and courtesy.
Uphold the principles of God and Love.
2-Cultivate the spirit of effort.
Do your best in everything you do, as if you’re doing it for God.
3-Perfect the mind of patience.
You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lords coming is near.
4-Live the way of truth.
Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life.”
5-Do not lose self-control or act in a violent manner.
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness;
and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control;
and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness;
and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.
1 Peter 2:17
Show proper respect to everyone:
Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, and honor the King.
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