GMAF NEWSLETTER

July - August 2003

Welcome to the GMAF Newsletter! We pray it will encourage you in your Martial Arts and Outreach for Christ.

"I tell you the truth."

Jesus Christ

"I speak the truth in Christ."

The Apostle Paul

"An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips."

Proverbs 24:26

 

"An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips." That's a beautiful picture: an honest answer is like a kiss on the lips. The writer's subject is an honest answer. He chooses a life-picture his readers will immediately understand and have an emotional response. A kiss on the lips is very pleasant. It's one of the most precious gifts God has given a husband and wife. A kiss on the lips is wonderful physically, emotionally, socially and mentally. It fulfills so many of the basic needs we have as human beings. A kiss on the lips is a good thing. So is an honest answer. God speaks highly about the importance of honesty.

"Honest scales and balances are from the Lord; all the weights in the bag are of his making." Proverbs 16:11

"Do not use dishonest standards when measuring length, weight or quantity. Use honest scales and honest weights, an honest ephah and an honest hin." Leviticus 19:35-36

"Kings take pleasure in honest lips; they value a man who speaks the truth." Proverbs 16:13

"A truthful witness gives honest testimony, but a false witness tells lies." Proverbs 12:17

"Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment." Proverbs 12:19

Most civilizations have found honesty important to the health of citizens, families and society. Hebrew words for "honest" include nakoah , sedeq, mispat, munah . The words carry the idea of being "right." It's not always easy to give someone the "right" answer, but it is a good thing to do. The result is like a kiss on the lips. The Chinese word for honesty is shih . The character has a string of ten thousand shells or coins placed under a roof. The person living under the roof has a fortune, is an aristocrat and thus a superior and honest person. Greek words for honesty include dikaios, kalos, semnos . The words carry the idea of being "right" and "honorable."

Honesty is basically the art of telling the truth. That sounds easy enough, but is very hard to do. The idea of honesty has fallen into such disrepair in modern society that some have coined the term "radical honesty" in an attempt to return to the old fashioned idea of Biblical honesty. Honesty is married with telling the truth.

Christ is the Highest Example of Honesty. He "always" told the Truth. We read dozens of times in the Gospels where Christ said: "I tell you the truth..." The truth Jesus shared was not always popular. Christ was murdered because He was honest. "The teachers of the law and the chief priests looked for a way to arrest him immediately, because they knew he had spoken this parable against them." (Luke 20:19) God honors honesty; He requires honesty.

How do we teach our children and students about honesty? Be a truth teller. Be a model of honesty. Share what God says about honesty and telling the truth. Share examples of people who were honest and the results of their honesty. Present honesty in terms people will understand. It is like a "kiss on the lips!"

What we call natural laws (physical laws of the universe), like gravity, were created by God. These are God's laws. Whether one believes in them or not, God's physical-natural laws are always in affect on a person's life. Nutritional principles follow these laws. Even people and cultures which do not believe the Bible reap the benefits from following these natural laws.

Sickness is most often a violation of God's natural laws. "If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy." -- defile means to make unclean (pollute) with contamination. Our body is not our own, it belongs to God, and, the very thing that contaminates it will bring destruction. the observation of Dr. Richard Brennon rings true: "God has made a universe of moral and material laws; when we break the laws, we break ourselves upon the laws. We will reap the consequence in ourselves." A Christian pastor notes, "It is the violation of the natural laws of God that causes 90% of all Christian sickness and physical suffering." (Why Christians Get Sick , Rev. George H. Malkmus)

What are these natural laws? They are the laws that govern the universe as seen in biology, chemistry, physics, thermodynamics, electro-magnetism, etc. How can anyone ever know all these laws? We can't, thankfully we are not expected to! God merely wants us to believe His Word and have a lifestyle that is as closely aligned as possible to His Word and design of the natural world. God's foods, clean air and water are essential for a good life, and fortunately, He has given us herbs for medicine.

"Violation of natural laws will result in sickness, injury, or untimely death whether the violator realized the law existed or not; whether the violator was a Christian or not; whether the violator was a spiritual Christian or not! The law will automatically be applied whether a man knows of the law or not! Ignorance of the law makes absolutely no difference in the consequences of breaking it!" (Malkmus) These laws are impersonal and always in effect. They apply to everyone, Christian or non-Christian. Each person is responsible and accountable for their own health. sincerity, piety and prayer (with exceptions) do not cause these laws to be abrogated.

Violating God's Natural Laws. Starting with steel rollers in the 1890's and then the earnest processing of grains in the 1904's, most of the nutritional value in grains has been removed. Processing was to extend shelf life, not your life. By removing bran and germ from wheat it lasts longer, but 22 vitamins and minerals are taken out. In 1948 Congress forced processors to add back four (B1, B2, B3, iron). It was then termed "enriched." This is like a mugger handing back one dollar after taking all your money and personal belongings and expecting you to be thrilled. Enriched foods are deceptive, destructive foods. Observe for the labels on food and if it says enriched, do NOT buy it!

Grain processing is the tip of the food adulteration iceberg. Mankind has found an incredible number of ways to alter foods which in essence "denatures" them (hydrogenation, additives, colorings, bleaches, preservatives, antibiotics, hormones, refining, ...) "Better living through chemistry" has not proven to be true for nutrition. Synthetic molecules, designed to trick your body (fake sugars, phony fats, etc.) will invariably cause health problems.

Processed foods are like the four horsemen of the Apocalypse because there are four white deaths: refined white sugar, white flour, white oils, and salt. Research shows that eight tablespoons of white sugar a day reduces the number of bacteria the immune system can handle by 92%. Popular creamed filled dessert snacks have four tablespoons each and one can of soda has over three tablespoons of sugar. Bread is said in the Bible to sustain one's heart, Psalms 104:15, but processed flour has the germ removed so the bread will last longer. By removing the germ the vitamin E is also removed, so the very thing which is healthy for your heart has been taken away. The nearly white, refined oils sold in supermarkets (especially the polyunsaturated) are some of the worst foods a person can consume. Just altering His Word is disastrous, so is alteration of His natural foods.

Principle: you cannot improve upon God. Consume items as close as possible to the way God made them.

(Next month: Healthy Cultures)

Dr. Shober is a Doctor of Naturopathic Ministries, Master Herbalist and Director of Biblical Health Ministries. He is available for seminars, conferences and workshops.You can contact him at shover@chorus.net or 608-836-9579.

"To be or not to be? That is the question" However it is not from Shakespeare That I ask this question. I ask myself in times of trouble, am I to be a sissy and cry about the situation? or should I not be overcome by my physical wants and turn to God for HIS help. For example there are millions of people in the World who say they can't quit smoking. Oh! how my flesh jumps back into the bad days, and only by the grace of God I don't grab them by their nicotine coated throat, and rip their tongue out of their mouth. I know that sounds terrible, and I apologize if anyone is taken back by the language.

The reason I get so frazzled is that these bumble butt brains spend at least on the average (in this time span 2003), $4.00 a pack. When you add at least one pack a day times four dollars each, that amounts to $112.00 a month. Shucks! that money could feed a homeless family for a month. Now to the point of this message. If a big knuckle head like myself can cold turkey Cigarettes, cigars, good whiskey, wine and beer, then there is no real excuse for them not to quit smoking. Man I'm so weak I get addicted to routine. A shower every morning, or having to eat a milky way with pop corn every day at lunch. So who am I to point fingers. However what is important is the fact that there is nothing we can do or not do, except mess up our lives without Going to God with our problems. Even the TV series Monk the policeman with compulsive behavior does all right with his problem. God has given us all, yes I said ALL, each and every one of you, me and you us and them, we all have the Lord God almighty right there, always there, FOR US! Wow! think about that. Our question is do we ask HIM for HIS help? Are you a member of God's Family? Have YOU accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior? Hay! the bottom line is simply To be a Christian Believer, or Not to be. Will you chose to Smoke, abuse drugs and alcohol, your wife and children? Or will you Be a loving God fearing, role model for our future generation Children. As for me, I have never been happier in my entire life of 66 years, since I became a Christian, and have the honor of going to my heavenly Father with ALL my problems and other things not just problems. Jesus said He was the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Really folks Christ is the Light of the World. If you don't believe me just ask me. Ha! Really my beloved readers, To be Christ like is life, and not to be walking on in Gods Will is folly. Come on you can stop smoking. Don't allow a little 3 inch cigarette rule your life and cut it short in many cases. Don't put smoking ahead of worshiping God. You make a cig your Idol. that's a dangers choice. Well that's it for today. Later Gator. Remember to keep Christ FIRST in ALL you do. Write me back if you like what you read, or if you don't, like it write anyway. Be Blessed all of you.

As I watched my Escrima, Arnis instructor Garcia, which is the only name anyone ever knew him by walk down the street on the way to our class, he was small in stature, about 5,6 140 lbs, and he would excuse himself humbly when accidentally running into someone in the crowded streets of Subic City, in the Republic of the Philippines. A different persona of this gentle man came to pass as he took his shirt off and this man who was, and I am guessing, well above 50 years of age, had the body of a 20 year old, and one knew that it came from many years of repetitive hard core learning and work. He never said much, and when he did speak I could not understand tagalog, their native language very well, but picked up a few words. This man during practice once daily would always invite four to five of us to attack him in any way shape or form we saw fit with the 26 hand cut bamboo sticks, and we would always wonder how we ended up so quickly looking at the sky on the dirt ground which was also a basketball court. He never slowed his techniques, he said we had to learn how to see them at full speed, however, we practiced them over and over and over again until we began to understand that what this man was doing which seemed to us, kids of 17-21, to be magical was only a response to repetitive practice. But I began to understand more after the Marine Corps moved me to Tokyo.

Stories from the Masters

After studying with Gaku Homma Sensei, who is believed by many to be the worlds foremost expert on true Aikido because he was the live in Uke for the founder of Aikido for the last 12 years of his life. He would tell me stories in private, which would certainly entail what he strongly believed to be supernatural forces in O,sensei, though he would not publicly say this. He told me one story of O,Sensei putting small Japanese teacups in a circle on the floor and walking on the edges of them in a circle almost floating and none of the cups even broken or tipped over. A story Saotome Sensei used to tell us was that O,Sensei would call him from the top of the stairs in his abode. Then all of a sudden he would appear at the bottom of the stairs, just like disappearing from one place to another in a matter of seconds. Just like a cartoon he would say. But he also told us that O,Sensei would never tell him how he did this feat, only that this one particular thing he did drained him of his energy, and he did not like doing it often, because he had to rest his body for hours after doing it. He would tell us that when O,Sensei walked down the busy streets of Tokyo or Chicago, people could feel his presence from behind, even without seeing him they would move out of his way, and he would not even have to say a word. This particular story makes me wonder if there was possible a spiritual aspect of this person Morei Ueshiba which operated, and was not from our Lord Jesus Christ. There are many more stories which I could tell you, however, let me add that both of these masters whose many books you can find in any book store under Martial Arts, know the secret of real Ki. Hooker Sensei and Saotome sensei when I got to see him occasionally would have a way about him. He would show us a technique such as Shomanuchi Shionage. When we would have a problem and confronted him with us he would simply say "Neal San, go and practice the technique. If you do it 100 times and still cannot get it, do not come to me. If you do it 500 times and still cannot get the technique to work properly, do not come and see me. If you do it 1000 times and it still does not work, do not come see me. If you do it 5000 times and you still cannot get it to work, then you better come see me, something is wrong. In short, he knew that continuing to do a technique not only became learned by the pupil, but also became part of his genetic makeup. It became part of his being, and something that would come second nature to him and this would become apparent during randori.

Ki lessons from the Masters

(The unbendable Arm)

When this technique, which was taught to me by Gaku Homma, is done in front of a class, they are awestruck by this. I always tell a class at the beginning of this that I know the most powerful Martial Arts technique in the world and it will kill instantly. Everyone of the kid,s eye get big, and all of the adults look at you with dismay. I then call up the sensei and ask him to get in a fighting stance and ask the class if they are ready to see this technique. They all nod in anticipation, and I merely reach out my hand to shake the Sensei,s hand. The class seems disappointed, but I continue by demonstrating what I mean and telling them that I am going to prove it to them. Then one student usually ask me what I mean by this hand shaking technique kills. If they do not ask me, I offer an explanation. I tell them it kills pride, it kills division, and it kills the spirit of anger between two Christian brothers, and it kills racism and many many other things, only by reaching out an open hand. The demonstration goes like this. I choose four men from the class with the largest bodies and biceps available and invite them up to the front. I put my arm on the shoulder of one and ask all four to put their hands on my elbow. I then make a fist and make this apparent to the class and ask the four to bend my arm, which they have no problem doing. This is no surprise to anyone watching. Then I put my hand back on the should of one of the persons and ask all four to put their arms back on my elbow. I then extend my hand in a hand shaking position, and when one learns how to allow his electrical energy, or Ki to flow, which takes practice, this works always. Then when the four large men attempt to bend my arm, even by hanging on it, they cannot. After a few minutes, I ask them to let go. A few egos are bruised, and disbelief is in the room, and then I give them the scientific explanation of Kinesiology, as is apparently a form of Ki. It is then shown to them that even though it looks supernatural, it is only the way God made our bodies, and gave our minds the ability to work in harmony with the energy of our bodies which is what acupuncture, acupressure, Jin shin do, all of which were began innocently by farmers who had no medicine and were oppressed by soldiers and had to find ways of healing. Only later did monks and priests add the supernatural theories behind these healing techniques, therefore if you remove what was added, you have the pure form of healing that God put in our bodies as a natural way of healing itself, if the knowledge is gained. Because -

Hos 4:6 " My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge:

The Spiritual Center

Saotome and Hooker Sensei taught this to me. Again, when seen by a school, it is seen as supernatural at first, but then after explained, it is understood. The spiritual center of a person is his belly. Jesus said, "out of my belly flow rivers of living water. Even the pagan religions know this, for instance, Buddhist believe that if you rub Buddha,s belly it is good luck. When a sailor crosses the equator and becomes a shell back, he has to kiss king Neptune,s belly for good luck. When one falls in love, he gets butterflies in "where his belly. When you get ready to go into the ring to fight, the adrenaline begins to flow and where do you feel it? In your belly. When you are stressed out over a bad marriage, or unpaid bills, where does the illness first hit you? With an upset belly! Therefore the spiritual center of a person is his belly. This is shown by calling up the head Sensei and having him hold his arm out to the side. You ask him to resist you pushing his arm down, and when I do this, I cannot push it down because his strength is strong and I only use two fingers to push. I then tell the class that the palms of your hands have positively charged ions and the back of your hands have negatively charged ions, and your center, or belly is always positive unless someone is suffering from an illness. I then rub the back, or negatively charged ions, of my hands on the sensei,s belly a few times, and then ask him to hold his arm back out. I again ask him to resist. He tries but cannot, I am usually able to push his arm down with only one finger and he does not have the strength to resist. I then tell the sensei to stand back up straight, and I rub the palms of my hand on his belly many times and then ask him to resist, and he is more than able, in fact is stronger than he was to begin with because I gave him some of my own energy. Again, this looks magical, but after explained to the class, it is understood.

How we can use these in Martial Arts

There are many stories and demonstrations I could tell, and they are all part of a larger puzzle of what we call Ki, or the energy of Life force, which our Lord Jesus gave us when he breathed life into Adam,s nostrils. One must remember that we as Martial Artists spend a lifetime learning different parts of the puzzle attempting to master them in a larger attempt to put the puzzle together and by doing this, helping us to not only become more disciplined in Martial Arts, which helps us to become more disciplined in more areas of our life like prayer, reading the word of God, and leading the lost to Christ.

The unbendable arm can get you out of many joint locks. Kotegaish, Shionage, Nikkyo, Sankyo, and many more joint locks can be overcome by learning the unbendable arm. This is a must for my students, because, when learned, there are many things that can be overcome in the Martial Arts Aikido and Jujitsu techniques.

The Center demonstration can help people tell if their energy is in harmony. When doing stances left and right fighting stances, horse stances, if a student just cannot seem to find his center, you can test his energy flow by doing this and many other techniques not mentioned here, but involving this same technique, and chances are this student who cannot find his center, cannot seem to stay balanced, or when he or she kicks and just cannot stay focused, many times it can be corrected just by correcting their energy flow or Ki. It may be something as simple as their having a fight with their boyfriend or parent, and as we know, when the mind is not focused, the body follows the same pattern. Prayer is our first line of defense, but God gave us many more, which we can learn to use. I hope this enlightens some as to my personal view on Ki or the energy of the Universe, there is much more detail I could go into, but I am certain I have gone over my word allotment already.

In Closing, I pray that everyone who reads this would be blessed beyond comprehension, and I pray protection over you and your family, but most of all, I pray for you to have a teachable spirit, and an open mind, but pray before accepting something into your heart, for the spirit of the Lord will let you know if something is correct, or if it is not quite right. God Bless each and every one of you.

Some time ago, a few ladies met in a certain city to study the scriptures. While reading the third chapter of Malachi, they came upon a remarkable expression in the third verse:

"And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver (Malachi 3:3)"

One lady proposed to visit a silversmith, and report to them on what he said about the subject. She went accordingly, and without telling the object of her errand, begged the silversmith to tell her about the
process of refining silver.

After he had fully described it to her, she asked, "But Sir, do you sit while the work of refining is going on?"

"Oh, yes madam," replied the silversmith; "I must sit with my eyes steadily fixed on the furnace, for if the time necessary for refining be exceeded in the slightest degree, the silver will be injured."

The lady at once saw the beauty, and comfort too, of the expression, "He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver." God sees it needful to put His children into a furnace; His eye is steadily intent on the work of purifying, and His wisdom and love are both engaged in the best manner for us. Our trials do not come at random, and He will not let us be tested beyond what we can endure.

Before she left, the lady asked one final question, "When do you know the process is complete?"

"Why, that is quite simple," replied the silversmith. "When I can see my own image in the silver, the refining process is finished."

-- Author Unknown

(We would love to hear from you about any topic relating to Christianity and the martial arts. Please send your thoughts and articles for publication to mmcgee@gmaf.org.)

GraceLife Ministries begins its 14th year of Taking God's Grace to the World . Grace Martial Arts Fellowship begins its sixth year of supporting and encouraging Christian martial artists across America and around the world. We have made a tradition of starting something new at the beginning of each new ministry year. This year we're adding Christian martial arts pictures to the GMAF website.

Our first picture features Vasile Filat and the Christian Taekwon-Do Club "Stolas Leukas." It is a part of Precept Ministries of Moldova. Pastor Filat has a wonderful martial arts ministry in a very difficult part of the world. You'll learn more about Precept Ministries in the Fellowship News portion of the newsletter below.

Please send us a picture and information about your martial arts ministry and we'll feature your group in an upcoming newsletter.

Train hard and push your body, mind, and spirit to the edge of their limitation.... And then go a little further! You will never know what you are capable of unless you are ready to make serious challenges part of your regular budo training routine. Although so much is attached to the physical strength, who is the best at open hand forms, weapons, kumite... But what about the ethical and mastery of self. The difference between " Martial Art " and " Martial Way ". Your training should be a vehicle to achieve " The Way." Transcend far beyond trophies and medals. If a karateka remembers this simple fact, everything else will fall into place because budo teaches you how to live your life with honor, respect, and the every day warrior spirit. Preserving physical technique is not a big deal, but preserving the right attitude will take a dedicated effort.

The true warrior spirit and the fundamental ethical principles of " budo " ( martial way ) have become non-existent in all but a select few dojo's. It seems sad that most see the Martial Arts as simply something that prepares them for physical battle. Bujutsu is the art of war, and the primary goal is combat and death... if necessary. It is from the roots of bujutsu that the modern martial arts evolved. Budo on the other hand, is a martial art that is studied for self-improvement through the self discipline (shugo ) required to master it over the years of dedication, hard work and study.

Everyone who trains becomes an integral part of legendary martial arts heritage. Thus it is your responsibility - And sometimes it becomes a burden - To maintain this heritage because with pride the technical, physical, and spiritual values once transmitted to you. You do not want the values to decline like the sunset. You do not want them to fade into darkness and disappear. It is very important to remember what kind and how much internal and external power you developed through karate, and this will help you resist the stress and pressure of modern society.The spirit of many masters who are no longer with us lives in you. The spirit is in you, and that spirit becomes part of your heritage and part of your assets for a lifetime. One must ask themselves " what kind of a person am I ?" Is my life like a spring of clear and fresh water in a world of turbulence. Don't let the spring become arid or dried out.

Measure your decisions and choices... weigh your progress and how you have grown. Respect and appreciation is essential to understanding.

Sensei Ron Loux

We'd like to hear from you! Let us know what you do in your martial arts ministry that you think is special and we'll share it with the Fellowship. Many members write us each month asking for guidance in developing and expanding their martial arts ministries. Please send your ideas to mmcgee@gmaf.org .

You'll find every GMAF newsletter at http://www.gmaf.org/gmaf_newsletters.html . These newsletters are a gold mine of information about Christianity and the Martial Arts.

GULF SHORES, ALABAMA

JULY 12 13, 2003

This event is hosted by Akayama-Ryu Jujitsu and Gulf Coast Jujitsu with the cooperation and support of
Karate for Christ and the National Jujitsu Yudanshakai. All styles and ranks are welcome.

DATES TIMES

SATURDAY 9:00 A.M. TILL 4:30 P.M.

SUNDAY 9:00 A.M. TILL 4:30 P.M.

COST

$65.00 IF PAID BY JUNE 15, 2003

$90.00 IF PAID AT THE DOOR

LODGING

ALL EVENTS RELATED TO THE SUMMER CAMP WILL BE HELD AT THE ALABAMA GULF STATE PARK RESORT AND CONVENTION CENTER.

TO RESERVE YOUR ROOM, CALL 1 (800) ALA-PARK (252-7275) AND ASK FOR THE AKAYAMA RATE.

ALL ROOMS ARE BEACH FRONT AND ARE $95.00 A NIGHT.

THIS RATE ALSO WILL BE IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO ARRIVE A DAY OR TWO EARLY OR STAY AFTER THE CAMP.

INSTRUCTORS

GREG FAULKNER, AIKIDO

CHRIS DEWEY, JUDO

ROBERT CARVER, JUJITSU

FRANK CALHOUN, AIKIDO

JOSEPH LUMPKIN, Hapkido

MARK BURTON, JUJITSU

CRAIG HAMM, Hapkido

DARYL COVINGTON, HAPKIDO

JEFF COOK, JUJITSU

VAN BUSHNELL, AIKIDO

MARK BARLOW, JUJITSU

CONTACT

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT MARK BARLOW AT barlows@gulftel.com or 251 979-6019.

I am having a Summer Black Belt Seminar at Smith Lake Park in Cullman,Alabama July 25, 26,27, 2003. It is a camp-out seminar. It offers TKD training on the Black Belt Level. If anyone in the KfC family is interested,
please contact me at dsheram@knology.net. I will be glad to send them the information in the mail or e-mail.

David Sheram, 6th DAN
Maranatha Martial Arts Ministries
Maranatha Tae Kwon Do

All American Christian Martial Arts

The First Annual Smoky Mountain Christian Martial Arts Classic

August 2, 2003

Pigeon Forge Middle School

300 Wears Valley Rd, Pigeon Forge, TN 37863

8:00am ­ 9:00am REGISTRATION, 9:00am BLACK BELT MEETING

Suggested Accommodations

Norma Dan Motel

3864 Parkway

Pigeon Forge, TN 37864

For Reservations Call 1-800-219-6809

Room with 2 Queen Beds Normal Rate: $92.00/night
AACMA Rate: $82.00/night

Please mention All American Christian Martial Arts when making reservations to receive this special rate.

Comfort Inn 3712 Parkway

Pigeon Forge, TN 37864
For Reservations Call 1-800-427-4494 Room with 2 Queen Beds
AACMA Rate: $89.99/night -Deluxe Room: $119.99

For more info or to register go to www.fbcpf.org

The North Carolina State AAU Judo Titles will go on the line on Aug. 23, 2003. for information and entry forms etc please e-mail me jim@ncaaujudo.org

Friday Night, September 19, 2003 7­ 9pm (Black Belts Only)

Saturday, September 20, 2003 8am ­ 5pm (All Ranks Ages)

Sunday, September 21, 2003 8am ­ 12pm (All Ranks Ages)

Location: Hamm's Martial Arts Academy - Selmer, Tennessee
(Location Subject to Change Depending on Attendance)
Hosted by Hamm's Martial Arts Academy

Instructors:

Joseph Lumpkin Principle Technique Theory of Shinsei Hapkido

Daryl Covington - Grappling

Craig Hamm - Cane Fan

Mike Frazier - Judo

Larry Ingle - Muay Thai Techniques

Les Pearson - One-Arm Techniques

Tony Chester - Hapkido in Kata or Forms

Chris Dewey - Judo

Mark Barlow - Jujitsu

Fri., Sat. Sun. Agenda

Friday

7:00 ­ 9:00 Dr. Daryl Covington for Black Belts Assistant Instructors only!

Saturday :

8:00 ­ 8:15 Prayer, Pledge Introduction

8:15 ­ 9:30 Jujitsu Mark Barlow

9:30 ­ 10:45 Grappling Daryl Covington

10:45 ­ 12:00 Hapkido in Kata Tony Chester

12:00 ­ 12:45 Lunch

12:45 ­ 2:00 Cane Fan Craig Hamm

2:00 ­ 3:15 Judo Chris Dewey

3:15 ­ 4:30 Muay Thai Larry Ingle

4:30 ­ 5:00 Awards

Sunday

8:00 ­ 9:00 Devotional Message Tony Chester

9:00 ­ 10:00 Shinsei Hapkido Principles Joseph Lumpkin

10:00 ­ 11:00 Wrist Techniques Mike Frazier

11:00 ­ 12:00 Hapkido Les Pearson

The Shinsei Hapkido Winter Camp will be help in the mountains of West Virginia on November the TH.
This place is beautiful!

Adam Bradford has reserved the biggest hall that they have, and all of the resorts 20 some rooms. All rooms, suites to singles, will only be $59.00 plus tax! The contract Adam has with the resort management is fixed to where he is the one who books the rooms, so, he needs members to tell him what they want, how many nights lodging and send him a US money order or check for their room fee.

Contact Adam Bradford at bigsifu@yahoo.com

Many GMAF members have told us their favorite part of the monthly newsletter is Fellowship News. It's wonderful to see Christian martial artists praying for each other across the United States and around the world. No distance is too far for Christians. The instant we pray, God hears. We impact the lives of our brothers and sisters positively through our prayers. God answers prayer. It is pleasing to Him. Thank you for caring so much for each other!

Here are some of the notes of prayer and praise we received at GMAF the past two months.

Just want to pass on an update to you on the Lords blessings on us here in Norfolk, Va.

As you know, our Karate for Christ ministry started June 16th, and the Lord moved in the hearts of the church members to support this new ministry.

I praise the Lord, as I tell you, to date... we have 74 registered students and all but a handful are members of the church. The Lord has blessed me with one Ni-Dan to step forward and help me out here. The age rang is from 4 yrs of age through 44 yrs of age. We are now into the second week and all is going great. The Lord is blessing us here.

We are so large, that we are thinking of starting a second class for the kid's. We have a prayer request as well, "We are in need of matt's." I ask that the Karate for Christ family pray that someone would step forward and donate some to us. We have asked a local Christian High School to loan or donate their old matt's to the ministry, but to date, we have not received and answer. Please pray that God will move in the hearts of the School officials to loan or donate some matt's to the ministry.

One other note: Due to the outpouring of support from the Church membership, our Church as setup an account for the ministry. This will make it easy for people to make donations, and for us to buy uniforms and patches for the students. So stand by Soke, a large order for "Karate for Christ" patches will soon be coming your way. Just though I'll give you fair and advanced warning (Smiles). O', HOW I PRAISE THE LORD!!!!! For He is Faithful, Good, and Loving.

"So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. -My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends" ... Matthew 7:12; John 15:12-13 (NIV)

Mike Lewis
Seishin-Do Karate/ Karate for Christ
Tabernacle Church of Norfolk
7000 Granby Street, Norfolk, VA. 23505
www.msnusers.com/SeishinDoKarate

God bless,
-Mike

I am glad to inform you how God is working now in Moldova through the Christian Taekwon-Do Club "Stolas Leukas" which is a part of Precept Ministries of Moldova. Grigorie Keptene, my Taekwon-Do disciple, started to teach Taekwon-Do in Cupcini last September. It was difficult for him to travel such a long distance every week to teach there to the unbelievers youth. He was to teach in very poor conditions and without any heating in the winter. But, God has blessed that group in a marvelous way.
Last week, Grigorie and ten of his best students organized together with Alexandru Sanduleac (the pastor of Cupricin church and Precept trainer) 11 evangelistic Taekwon-Do exhibitions in 5 localities of
Northern part of Moldova. As a result, more than 450 people listened to the Gospel and now more other young people want to come and study the Bible and Taekwon-Do at the camp Grigorii is organizing near Cupcini.

Other instructors of the club started or are starting their camps just now. Nicu Dunas started the camp for the young people and children from Cahul which is a city in the southern part of Moldova. Valeriu
Vizitiu, Radu Filat, Alexei Tentiuc, Oleg Filat are going to start in one week their camps in different parts of the country. Sergiu Filat, my cousin and disciple who is also the vice-president of the club and
European Champion is studying for the summer session at Bucharest Theological Seminary and immediately after the session he will start his camps. God blessed him and his wife Rodica with a son whom they named Paul.

We are planing to have in this Taekwon-Do and Bible study camps about 800 children. The big problem of the majority of this young people is that they are not able to cover the expenses for the camps and among them are a lot of children from the poor families, orphans, abused children, abused girls, children from Gypsy families and their parents are involved in Mafia, drugs and prostitution. All this children are very interested to come to the camp and learn the Bible and Taekwon-Do.

We are doing our camps in the tents and the tents we have are very old, in very bad condition and only few. It is difficult to find to rent tents and the price is very high for it. Last years, because there were so many children who came at the camps, some of them had to live in shelters made of tree branches.

For the transportation at the camps and during the year we need now at least 4 vans and we pray for a long time for this needs.

As you know the name of our club is "Stolas Leukas" which in Greek means "White Robes". When I started the club I choose this name in order to have a symbol for students and a cause for the students and
instructors to preach the Gospel to unbelievers when they will ask about this name. Now, I wrote and
brochure in Romanian and in it I explained to the people "Why we call our club Stolas Leukas?" in order that they will understand the message of the Gospel. I printed some at my printer and gave to my
students and instructors and it works so good when we gave this to the people in the streets. Now we need to print at least 100 000 of this brochure in order to distribute them in the streets, public schools
and at our evangelistic exhibitions. In this brochure I wrote also the schedule of all the classes in all the localities where our instructors are teaching in order that people who will read this brochure will come to this groups to continue study the Bible and Taekwon-Do.

Another urgent need for our ministry are Bibles in Romanian and Russian and Bible study materials.

Let me appeal through this letter to you to be involved in this wonderful ministry. You can contribute by your prayer, material and financial support as God leads you.

May God bless you abundantly!

With love in Christ,

Vasile Filat

Many of you have written, asking for an update on Nikki Hagler, who was in a terrible accident last Sunday, June 15th. I am sad to report that Nikki passed away on Thursday, June 19th. Her wake was tonight and her funeral will be tomorrow, on the 23rd.

If Nikki had lived, she would have been terribly disabled by the brain injury she sustained in the accident, but that doesn't matter to her family right now. They just wanted her alive, no matter what condition she was in. Her husband, parents and in-laws are devastated by the loss of her and the baby. God's will has been done in this case, but sometimes His will is so hard to accept. Please pray for her family.

Nikki was on her way to church to teach Sunday school when the accident occurred. She was a teacher here on earth and I'm sure God has a special place for her in Heaven, surrounded by children... including her own precious baby.

Donna

On Saturday June 21, 2003 our church suffered a devastating fire and we lost everything to either the fire or the smoke and water damage. Please ask our fellow members to remember the Church of the Nazarene in London, Kentucky in their prayers. We are not defeated but this is a big setback for us.

Tim and Leahrae Cummins

There is a church in Egg Harbor, NJ ( Atlantic County N.J.) that is looking for a teacher to start a Karate for Christ outreach there. If there is a teacher near Atlantic City, NJ that can help please reply to Karate@otelco.net

About the karate ministry in Uganda, I've been working very hard to establish it here, even in our church community and I'm having good response from the boys mainly aged 15-20 years and it's increasing day by day. However, I need experienced trainers because I'm more into preaching and teaching them the word of God and telling them how it can help reach out to lost souls in schools and in our community here. So there is an open door for trainers from Karate for Christ headquarters to come and help us establish this great ministry because it will even make more impact on the boys because I've been telling them about the karate ministry in the U.S,. I believe it will be more than a dream come true if we receive a team to come and work with us for a couple of weeks and it will also make more sense to my pastors because then you will also get an opportunity to meet them and hence officially acknowledge this ministry. Please pray for this and with God's grace we will be able to host a team from Karate for Christ this year .

Hope to hear from you soon about this and may God bless you richly,

Kayira Grace

KAMPALA,UGANDA

My heart is feeling a tug to write this mailing and to remind you of a few things. I know you have heard them before, but this is a reminder.

As we are all brothers and sisters in Christ, remember the old song, "HE AIN'T HEAVY, HE'S MY BROTHER". With that, think about all of your brothers and sisters in Christ who need your help, or support.

To those of you who are still lucky to have your Mothers and Fathers still living, pay homage to them while they are still here. Take care of them as they took care of you, love them as they loved you. Tell them you love them and show it daily.

To those of you who are parents, grab your child up and give them a big loving HUG today and kiss them. Tell them they are the most important person in your life. Tell them how much you love them and show them this love daily. I don't care how much trouble they get into, or how many times you have to tell them to clean up their room or toys. When they are gone you will feel as I do, empty and as I am now, tearful.

Get your priorities straight:

1. God and His way
2. Family
3. Job
4. Martial arts study

Your brother in Christ,

George Petrotta

We presented an encapsulated version of the vision of Eagle's Wings and Karate for Christ along with a Power Point slide show during all three services this past weekend. Average attendance is running 1500, so we now have that many more informed people.

I did not make an attendance push, rather, I wanted the congregation to be fully aware of what we are trying to accomplish. I told how everyone coming out of their white belt test comes out with a full knowledge of God's plan of salvation and how to apply it to their life. I also told the story of a young man age 14, who on his white belt test, two years ago, looked at me in horror, with his eyes the size of saucers and said, "Sensei, I have never heard that before in my life." His name was Kenny and he dropped out after a few months because of conflicts with wrestling and boy scouts.

When I went back to the pew Sunday morning, from behind me I heard "Sensei". It was Kenny. He said, "You were talking about me up there. I remember the talk you gave me on my white belt test and I want you to know that I got saved in January."

We have another student who was with us a few months. I found out that he also began going to church and has been saved.

It appears that God is using us to help plow up the soil and sow seed. It's OK with me if someone else does the harvesting. Hearing stories like these about our students encourages me and reminds me that we don't always see the fruit of our labor. We may never fully realize the impact we are having on our students - even the ones who are with us a short time.

Also, I had told you a few months ago about one of our students who is best friends with a young woman who is involved with Wican. He has been coming to church the past couple of weeks. We need to pray that she will come to church with him and find Jesus. He says that he has received Jesus into his life.

I thought all of this was really good news and that you would enjoy hearing it.

Beverly

On the 15th of May, I will be starting a class at Greenwood Baptist Church here in Florence, SC. My assistant will be Lundy Guyton, Sensei, a 3rd Dan in Isshinryu. We will be teaching children Isshinryu from age 7 to 13. From 14 up, we will teach my Sungja-Do system. Please pray for our success at winning souls for Christ. We are calling the class Karate for Christ at Greenwood Baptist Church, in honor of Karate for Christ International.

George Petrotta

Isn't God great!? He is so faithful in His provisions and His love for us. It is good to see Him at work in every area of our lives, and the lives of those around us. Our landlord, Dean, who accepted the Lord as Savior, has been showing signs of growth and faith. He has been testifying to others how God has given him peace even during the ordeal he is going through. Please pray for him as his wife not only has continued to seek divorce, but also seems intent on causing him to lose the trailer park.

We have been blessed with a nice car to replace our van that was falling apart. A man from one of the churches we ministered at helped us find a really good deal. It's a blessing to have reliable transportation as I am driving to four different churches where I have started Gospel karate clubs. Actually, the fourth one starts this week. At present we already have over 70 students. Elizabeth and either Rebecca, or Cynthia, have been going with me to help at one of the larger clubs. I have developed another video tape on our kenpo karate basics for all these beginners ...

Some of our friends in Brazil continue to communicate with us, and the needs there continue. We are helping with a percentage of proceeds from our Yeshua Karate Ministries. Vanda, one of the women we lead to Christ and discipled is constantly approached by kids who want her to take them in. She does not have the means to do this, but helps them in whatever way she can. She is a widow raising a three year old half sister already. Brazilian pensions for a widow may amount to $50/mo - when it goes through.

We are using our property in Brazil to house three couples who are students at the Cariri Baptist Seminary in the neighboring town of Crato. Elizabeth's brother, Jim, director of the Seminary, and missionary with Baptist Mid-Missions, oversees this.

Thanks for all your prayers, and the gifts of support. Any gift sent to House of Grace Ministries is tax deductible. God bless!

In Christ,

Phil Lewis
House of Grace Ministries
933 Oaklawn NE
Grand Rapids, MI 49505

I am pleased to say that our Karate For Christ ministry here in El Paso TX at Life Church is going well. From the beginning one of our goals was to start a Demo team to go out and spread the word of Jesus Christ through the martial arts. We started this club free and open to the public last September and this last Sunday were asked to do a Demo at a school in Juarez Mexico in the near future. We will begin working on a Demo Team next week and every week there after. The problem is, we have never done anything like this before or even seen one that used the martial arts to bring a message of salvation. We need your help, suggestions, prayers and videos of your Demo teams. Please pray with us that we may Glorify God in this humble endeavor. Please send videos to:

Larry Mason

PO Box 3896

Fabens, TX. 79838

Thank You, and God Bless.

Larry Mason

I am pleased to inform you that our Ministry was introduced in 40 schools in Guyana and 15 schools in Barbados with the full blessings of the Governments. In Trinidad we have introduced it to 240 schools meeting the needs of both parent and child to accept Jesus as their Lord and savior. We have been invited to a number of churches and on the Christian stations to bring greetings on behalf of karate for Christ. I'm invited to Grenada and St. Lucia to introduce our ministry to the schools. I would love to take you over to those countries to see the marvelous work being done. This year our summer program starts on the 7th July and ends on the 9th of August 2003. Again your presence would be greatly appreciated. I would love however for your presence to be with us at our international schools martial arts youth championship on the 2nd November 2003.

From the West Indies - Soke Christopher Francis

I had a meeting with the Director of Children's Ministries today and we worked out a "Summer Schedule" for the start of our new Karate for Christ Ministry. I have placed it on a page of a Christian Law Enforcement Group Community site I manage.

Please use the link below to up date your site and our School Information as you see fit.
http://www.msnusers.com/ArchangelPolicePrayerPage/seishindokarateministry.msnw

God bless you and Karate for Christ International Ministries.
May all of us continue to serve Christ, and bring glory unto His name through the Christian Martial Arts.

-Mike Lewis

We are teaching martial arts here in Korea most to unbelievers, those people not attending church most of their time, those people doing such habitual things, But praise be to God, because of martial arts we could be able to invite and let them join our bible studies and our worship services and most of them accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour.

From Ray Biagtan - Korea - Ray@karateforchrist.zzn.com

Avis and I had a good time in Louisiana and Texas and then back through Louisiana again. I had the chance to witness to about 60 on the 21st in New Orleans with two of your members in attendance: Mr. Arthur Robertson III and Mr. Gery Ryan. Both are fine upstanding Christian gentleman and we shared the feeling of Christ. In Richardson, TX on the 25th I had a chance to witness to about 15 Hapkidoist including master John Murphy. On the 26th, in Denton, TX we had a blast with two seminars that night, one for advanced and one for beginners at Master Richard Shoffit's Academy. Richard is one of Mickey Fisher and Pat Burleson students. All total we had close to 60 there for both classes. I believe I made friends with a few high and low ranking black belts as well as color belts. I had one new white belt come up to me after the class and thank me for speaking of Christ and praying for the people in attendance. He was a college student and stood about 6'4" with a solid muscle 230 lbs. He and I exchanged hugs and I really felt the presence of the Lord there.

In Christ,
George Petrotta

Please let us know if you have moved, changed jobs, received a belt promotion, started studying a new martial art, started a Christian martial arts ministry, etc. We want to be sure your listing in the GMAF Internet Directory is all you want it to be.

We welcome these new members to Grace Martial Arts Fellowship. We have shared their interest in GMAF in their own words. We have edited the notes for space.

Shihan Craig Hamm

7th Dan ... Shinsei Hapkido

5th Dan ... Budoshin-Kai Karate

Lives in Selmer, TN where he's operated Hamm's Martial Arts Academy since 1994.

"God is Great and is Alive in the World! We are here for a purpose and that is to bring his Word to the people and the martial arts is one way that we can do this that people would probably never come in contact with or hear about the Lord Jesus Christ."

At this time I hold a 3 Dan in American Karate, 2nd Dan in American Tae Kwon Do and a 2 Dan in Kenpo/Lima Lama. I've been teaching for just over 10 years. I've also trained in other arts/systems.

Member of American Black Belt System Karate Association, Oklahoma Kenpo Karate Association, International Network of Christian Martial Artists and Pekiti-Tirsia International.

I gave up my school because of my ministry training. I'm training with Vision Life Ministries in Irving, Tx. under Dr. Henry Malone.

I only teach private or group lessons and self-defense courses at this time due to ministry training.

I spent 8 years as a paratrooper in the army and close to 10 years as a police officer.

I live in Collinsville, OK and I can be reached at 918-371-0122.

Stanley Mason
Warrior's Path Martial Arts

Love your online newsletter. I teach a home school karate class in Owosso once a week ... I have about 15 students. I told my class today about your organization and how we are interested in becoming members as a dojo. My Shorin-ryu Sensei is Sekichi Iha from Lansing. He is currently a 10th Dan and the highest ranking in the USA. I trained under him from 1975-1982 and recently started working out with him again ... I reached 1st Dan back in 1982 and dropped out for quite some time. I started teaching Karate again about five years ago as an alternative gym class for our home school group. My youngest son Ricky has taken a great interest in Karate and is now a green belt. He has inspired me to train again. I am looking forward to meeting more martial artist believers, especially in the same style.

Love in Christ,
Rev. Ric Shaull
Owosso, Mi.

Sean Willis

4th Dan ... Hap Ki Do

3rd Dan ... Tae Kwon Do

Apprentice Instructor ... Jeet Kune Do

Lives and teaches in Burlington, North Carolina

tkdconcepts.tripod.com

Lee Lambert

2nd Dan ... HapKiDo

Black belts in Small Circle Jujitsu and Taekwondo

Member of Karate for Christ

Behavior management and use of force instructor for the Ct. Dept of correction (9 yrs as instructor)

Served as a member of Correctional emergency response team and special operations group as member and instructor.

Retired from U.S. Navy

Plans to start a Christian Martial Arts program for inner city kids at a church

Hello! My name is Nathan Jennings and I am interested in membership with the G.M.A.F. I have been in the martial arts since the age of 7 and I am now 23. I have achieved the rank of 1st Dan in the style of Isshin-Ryu Karate. I recently answered the call to preach in August of 2002. Since this time I have had a burden to start teaching the martial arts at my local church fellowship hall to children and adults. I thought it would be an awesome way to lead people to the Lord. Below is some of the information you might need from me.

Rev. Nathan Jennings

236 Rockhouse Road

Johnson City TN, 37601

(423) 926-5061

Email Address- JenningsND@msha.com

I am praying for the continued success with the GMAF.

In His Service,

Nathan Jennings

We appreciate your Fellowship in the Gospel of the Grace of God. We are praying for you and your opportunities to serve Christ. Please let us know about ways GMAF can help you in your service. If you know of anyone who might be interested in receiving this monthly newsletter, please ask them to e-mail Mark McGee. We'll be glad to put them on our monthly mailing list.

You are invited to read previous GMAF Newsletters.

If you would like to join Grace Martial Arts Fellowship ©, contact Mark McGee.

Grace Martial Arts Fellowship is a service of GraceLife Ministries©.