Welcome to the GMAF Newsletter! We pray it will encourage you in your life, your martial arts and outreach for Christ.
"And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth."
Jesus Christ
" But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses. I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession; That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen."
The Apostle Paul
"A wise son heareth his father's instruction: but a scorner heareth not rebuke. A man shall eat good by the fruit of his mouth: but the soul of the transgressors shall eat violence. He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction. The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat. A righteous man hateth lying: but a wicked man is loathsome, and cometh to shame. Righteousness keepeth him that is upright in the way: but wickedness overthroweth the sinner."
Proverbs 13:1-6
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory." Ephesians 1:3-14
The first blessing Paul mentions in Ephesians is that God chose us in Him "before the foundation of the world." The second blessing Paul mentions is our "adoption." Paul wrote that God "predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will." What a blessing! What an eternal joy! God chose us "beforehand" to become His children through spiritual adoption. We were born into this world by flesh into sin. We were dead in tresspasses and sins. We were under the control of the world, the flesh and the devil. However, God knew us from before the foundation of the world and chose us to become His children through legal adoption!
"Having predestinated" speaks of God's "marking out the boundry or limits" (proorizo) of our relationship with Him at sometime in the past (before the foundation of the world). God "predetermined" or "defined beforehand" what our relationship would be with Him. The word was used by ancient Greeks when speaking about the gods determining their destiny in life. It was something determined "beforehand." Some translators have chosen the word "foreordain" to explain the meaning of "predestinated." It is a predetermination about a person's future. God predetermined that He would adopt you as one of His children!
Paul used proorizo in other letters to Christians to help them understand their unique relationship with God.
1 Corinthians 2:7 - "But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory."
Romans 8:29-30 - "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified."
Luke used the word in Acts 4:28 - "For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done." The apostles used the word in the context of the enemies of God gathered together against Him to murder His Son Jesus Christ. It is a reminder that God "predetermined, predestined, foreordained, chose beforehand," that Jesus Christ would die a violent death at the hands of God's enemies.
Paul used the same word when describing the decision God made about you and about me in "predetermining" that we would be adopted as His children. The word "adoption" is huiothesia and means "a placing as a son" and speaks of an adult rather than a minor child. It means the adopted person received all the benefits of a son who had reached the age of "maturity," including full civil status. That status included the position of heirship (heirs with Christ).
Paul was the only writer in the New Testament to use the word huiothesia .
Romans 8:15 - "For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father."
Romans 8:23 - "And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body."
Galatians 4:5 - "To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons."
The word "unto" is the preposition eis and means "with a view to," which speaks of purpose or result of an action. Adoption as adult, mature sons of God was the purpose of His predetermination made as part of His choosing us from before the foundation of the world. How blessed we are!
This adoption as adult sons was "by Jesus Christ to himself." The word dia is a preposition of intermediate agency. Jesus Christ was the intermediary (intermediate agent) between God and you! Sin carved a huge chasm between God and the human race. God is holy, the human race is unholy. People could not approach the Holy God except through an intermediate agent. Paul wrote to Timothy - "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." Jesus Christ is God's Only Begotten Son. He alone is worthy to be the permanent and eternal intermediate agent. His death on the cross broke the wall of partition between God and the human race making salvation possible. Our adoption as adult sons was "by Jesus Christ" to God the Father.
This adoption is about the highest and most important relationship any human being can have in this life and the life to come: a personal relationship with their Creator. In Christ's famous prayer just before his arrest, Jesus prayed to His Father - "Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. Father, I will that they also, whom thou has given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world." (John 17:20-24)
Jesus prayed for all the people who would believe in Him and asked His Father to make them "one in us." The purpose of that relationship of unity was so "the world may believe that thou hast sent me." Christians' personal relationship to God is much bigger and higher than just our salvation. Our relationship with God is a primary way the world sees that the Father sent the Son to save the world. Christ's prayer for the unity relationship goes a step further to include Christians' relationship to each other. "And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me." The way we support, encourage and treat each other is vitally important in God's plan to reach the lost world for Christ.
Our "adoption as sons" comes with great reward and great responsibility. We have been given the privilege of being numbered among the redeemed from the world's masses. We have direct access to God through Jesus Christ ("Abba, Father"). God listens to our prayers and gives us answers as a Father would an adopted child who has full rights of maturity and heirship. We will have access to God in person when the mortal puts on immortality and we go to be with Him forever in Heaven. That access to our Heavenly Father comes with a big price and responsibility. It cost the Only Begotten Son of God, Jesus Christ, His blood and His life. Jesus paid the highest price the Son of God could possibly pay to redeem unworthy, lost sinners. He sacrificed His holy life for us. We went from being lifeless and filled with sin to being alive and saved by grace because of the price Christ paid on the cross for us. We have the highest responsiblity to conduct ourselves as sons of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords through humble obedience and grateful service. The world is watching to see whether we are one with God and each other.
God's plan for our relationship with Him through His Son is also from before the foundation of the world. "Father, I will that they also, whom thou has given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world." It is difficult for us to comprehend anyone or anything that existed before the foundation of the world. We are so locked into time and space that the thought of God living outside that framework is hard for us to get our minds around. However, the fact remains that God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) predetermined before the creation of the world that you and I would receive the many benefits of His Love and Grace. One of the primary benefits is we are allowed to behold the glory of Christ. He wants us to be with Him where He is at the Right Hand of the Almighty God. We now see the glory of Christ in small part because of our mortality, but one day as immortals we will see and experience the complete and outstanding glory of Jesus Christ when we witness His full power and glory in Heaven!
God's predetermined choice to make us adult sons is "according to the good pleasure of his will." What a stunning thought! What God did in choosing us to become adult sons pleased Him. It was "according to" (dominated by) the good pleasure of His will. The words "good pleasure" come from the word eudokian . It has the meaning of "good will, satisfaction, delight, counsel, purpose." This good pleasure comes from God's "will" (thelema ). It is a desire that comes from God's heart and emotions. As God looked into future time and space ("before the foundation of the world") from His eternal throne, He chose us and predetermined our relationship with Him as adult sons. That expression of His grace and mercy was dominated by the delight and good counsel of His loving heart. What a wonderful gift and benefit we have in Christ!
(Next newsletter: The Third Blessing!)
(Mark McGee is Director and co-founder of Grace Martial Arts Fellowship. He teaches martial arts from a Christian perspective in Tampa, Florida.)
I. God the Father sees you as a spirit, who lives in a body that has a soul.
We can express our gratitude to God directly in prayer, by studying His Word and by obeying His comands from approval rather than for approval. A true Christian faith is serving God and others from the accepted righteousness credited to us by the Lord Jesus Christ. This is called "imputed righteousness." A RIGHTEOUSNESS CREDITED TO YOU FREELY AT CHRIST'S EXPENSE. That is to say, the righteousness of God is available to you because of the faithfulness of Jesus Christ.
Once we begin to believe and trust God's Word about our forgiveness, love and acceptance, we are then able to forgive others as God has forgiven us. We then are able to truly love and accept others as well as ourselves. When anyone sins against you or offends you in any way, reflect on this: There is nothing that anyone can do to me that can compare with Christ's love, acceptance and forgiveness.
God the Father views you as approved, accepted and loved as He views His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. That is the unsearchable riches of the grace of God!
(Next newsletter: Greater Grace, Greater Purpose)
Ok! So what are you crying about? Me, I complain a lot about how crappy my life has been and about all the bad luck and illness I have experienced. I have been divorced three times, went through about 75 relationships that all went sour. As a counselor I can't tell you how to keep a wife or girlfriend, however I can sure tell you how to lose one. Anybody can get a girl, but keeping her is the real secret of being a man. When I get to feeling depressed and anxiety starts gigging me like a sore toe, I pray a lot. It works for me. When it all looks the grim reaper would be a pleasant visitor because of the pain my body is going through, and the mental anguish my brain is fighting with, life at that time appears to suck. However, with a small amount of God given knowledge I remember that the World is filled with people with many more disadvantages that my puny little problems.
When I had serious tooth infection in New Orleans some years ago and the hospital refused to treat me because I only had a HMO and Medicare insurance, I spent 4 hours waiting on a gurney and then found myself being transferred to the Charity Hospital across the street. I had to sit there from about 6:00 am until 11:00 am in pain that was so harsh that sometimes during that time I actually would have preferred death. With all my complaining and griping, it didn't help me, not one tiny bit. I actually tried to sneak out of the emergency room, but was caught outside by the biggest police officer I ever saw. I suppose I might have gotten away had I not forgotten to take the I-V thing sticking in my arm. Tee-Hee. What an idiot I was.
HA! Are you kidding? They left to see other patients, and I sat there feeling sorry for myself, and griping about my circumstances. Outside in the hall a fellow was complaining about the service he wasn't receiving. He had been outside my room for about an hour or more himself. It seems that he was suffering from a bullet he received at the prison riot he had been in. Can you imagine how selfish and embarrassed I felt? After all my griping, when all I had was an infected wisdom tooth and this fellow was lying out there with a gunshot wound. I wonder how many of us who complain about "poor me," Dear God, when I realize how many bad times I have suffered through, yet in just about every, if not all of these situations, someone else was worse off than me. In every case of hard times that I experienced, there was always the fact that it could have been worse.
HARD TIMES could have been worse than what you actually experienced. Being grateful is not a bad thing. I'm not preaching here, but having God on your side is like being lost in the woods and the best guide in the world finding you. If you think you have problems, why not have the very best problem solver ever as your friend. If someone jumps me in a park or any where for that matter, I want Chuck "the Iceman" Liddell as my bodyguard. It is one thing to have hard times, but another in dealing with these difficult times. Having someone we can depend on in every case is really a grand thing. It's getting through the hard times that teach us how to appreciate the good times.
It takes just a thought, a time memory, or a possible future event that I think about and, BOY, do I get it? The best thing about getting upset for any reason is the fact that not even anxiety can defeat any of us. Putting on the whole Armor of God and pray for every member of your family, friends, and even your enemies, HA! That one really ticks off the devil. Grab your Bible and walk all through your home. Demons can't stand that. "I resist you Satin" and they all have to flee. Don't go about shouting how little old you is binding the devil, because then you trap him in your house. NO, Kick him out by the power of the Holy Spirit and the Blood of Jesus. If you go to war with those fellows on your own accord, you're going to get you head stomped on.
Hard times are as regular as rain, we all have them. The degree of misfortune, pain, and depression depends on our personalities. By that I mean, if we are prayer warriors, when the hard time hit us we fight with prayer and supplication. Others fight by using alcohol and drug abuse. Still there are those who attempt to find relief by being promiscuous and fornicating like rabbits. That only adds to their misery. I found that writing my experiences as they happen helps me and while being fresh in my mind because I'm usually writing while in or just after whatever occasion or situation I happen to be in at that moment. It's fresh in my mind, accurate, and sometimes even helpful to others who may be going through or who have been through the same or similar experiences. As a shepard of our LORD's flock of sheep, it is my duty to teach, train, and prepare God's Children HIS Way?
Keichu-Do Black Belts are missionaries in a way. Wherever God sends us and whatever employment he grants us, be it dish washer or rocket scientist, doctor or lawyer, it is our duty to serve God by teaching HIS Word. Most of our problem is the fact we forget that we conduct ourselves by being like minded having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Hey! The true spirit of a Keichu warrior is let nothing be done through selfish ambition, which is where I failed and so did most all of my so-called students. I didn't think of myself as conceited or prideful, but I didn't feel lowness of my mind and like so many other black belts I didn't esteem others better than myself. If anything, I felt cheated because others were getting the glory that I thought should have been mine. Also, those who deserved these honors were deserving however I felt I had earned the right to be up there with them.
I forgot my purpose and lost sight of my vision. All I wanted was a great reputation and tons of respect. I could not understand why Bruce Lee was getting all the Ho-How because he was oriental and a movie star. I was doing things he did before he did them and I was an intelligent as him, but he was the best thing since Jesus Christ to American martial artists. I was so jealous I wanted to throwup every time I saw him on the front cover of so many magazines. I was a failure myself so how could I teach Keichu-Do? A failure in that while proving that my Sheep (style) was as good or better than many of the existing traditional styles, I didn't push on the more important aspects as I should have. That of course being the mental and most importantly the Spiritual area.
So, you see my foundation and roots were built on a sandy ground and now after all these years my house of Keichu has fallen apart. The upside of all this is that now I have seen the light so to speak, and now I can rebuild on a solid foundation using God's Word as my concrete slab. One of the first things I must do is forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead. Now that is the way a Christian warrior is supposed to think. Hard times have a difficult time growing on someone with that mentality. It is the Philosophy of Jesus Christ that gives power to the Christian fighter. Man ,when things look the bleakest and I am in deep depression I remember the words of Holy Scripture that teach about my needs. From following Christian beliefs I have learned that in whatever state I am to be content.
If you can win the World UFC Championship,and you're the best mixed martial arts fighter in the Universe, butwhen hard times kick you in the groin because your most valued relative died and you just lose it and become a drunk or commit suicide, you just became a victim of not knowing beans about self-defense. Ha! Some Champion. Hard times develops defense mentally and SPIRITUALLY. Did you know that when hard times are upon you it's no use to fight against it in your own prideful will? Instead, humble yourself in the sight of the LORD and HE will lift you up. I wished I had known that years ago when I was trying to lift myself up in the eyes of the media.
I know for sure that the Lord is faithful and HE will establish me and GUIDE me from the evil one. Man, I like that. I feel reassured that I can count on God to be there for my stumbling, clumsy self. When my hard times come, knowing the self-defense techniques to block, counter and in general ward off the attacks is the best part of my self-defense program in Keichu-Do. A fast takedown and ground and pound from me will not work on a spiritual attack. No Kimura, Triangle, or Guillotine will help any of us. Man, I can tell you from experience anxiety is a hard time experience. Yea! You can use your doctor's medication, however ,if you don't train yourself to mentally fight it off, you become somewhat of a drug addict. Running to the pill, instead of the Bible and God's instruction, is not in your best interest.
When new officers get off of the plane they are handed a copy of Sun TSu's classic, The Art of War. Sun Tsu speaks of dividing the enemy, striking where they cannot defend, being where you cannot be attacked, and understanding the complexities of human psychology. His insights have been used from hundreds if not thousands of years. They are applied in innumerable ways to the movements and tactics of armies. Seldom if ever are they applied to the art of personal combat. Shinsei Hapkido attempts to do just that.
Let us quickly review the similarities.
Armies are composed of groups of people attacking in concert from certain directions toward certain directions. They cannot attack in ALL directions. The more the direction aligns with the back the harder it is to. Oddly, there are angles that are hardest to defend. These are angles that the army finds it most difficult to turn toward at the time of the attack.
The body can be understood as 5 companies of troupes. Each can attack in a set of directions.
Arms can go 45 degrees across, straight out, and to the side. They can also go up and down but as the angles vary outside the range between chest and waist their strength diminishes.
Legs can attack straight out, to the side, and to the back. Both legs and arms have long and short range abilities by using feet or knees, elbows and hands.
Lastly, the head is a short range weapon which can only attack to the front or rear within a foot or less.
For any of these directions or ranges to change the torso must turn first.
Applications to Sun Tsu become simple when the body is viewed as an army and limbs are viewed as brigades, companies, or squads.
Rule 1 - The body as a whole must be used. A troupe without the backing of the army is a renegade and a ronin. The army pushed its troupes out - Troupes do not drag the army.
2) Divide the army and conquer it. This means putting yourself is a position where most limbs cannot attack. This means attacking while remaining in the enemy's center unless necessary is stupid. To follow Tsu's rules you must attack from the left or right to eliminate the weapons or troupes on the other side. Since your army can only advance in one direction and that direction cannot lead you directly behind the person the only place you can be to follow Tsu's rule in behind and to the side of the shoulder. This is called the dead zone.
When attacking or defending (since in practice they are both the same) you should proceed in towards the opponent and to his side, ending just behind the shoulder.
3) Step close enough to cancel / block the action of the legs.
4) Turn toward the opponent as you step.
5) Block the turn of the torso by holding on to the arm you have blocked or holding the shoulder.
Now you have succeeded in obtaining Tsu's rules. You have divided the army - You have placed yourself in a position where they cannot attack. You have prevents their repositioning.
6) Since you are FACING their weakest, undefended area you may attack at will.
This is how to EVADE the opponent's attack and strength-
INVADE his defenses -
CONTROL his response.
The body is an army - View it as such.
2Ti 4:6 "For I am now ready to be offered,
and the time of my departure is at hand."
2Ti 4:7 "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith."
2Ti 4:8 "Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing."
The missing element in our "soldiering for Christ" is that we are not willing to die! There is no current draft in our U.S. military. They all signed up. We have been to war several times with volunteer army, to include Gernada, Panama, Desert Storm, Samalia, Afganistan, and the war on Terrorism. Why would someone volunteer to go to war?
1. Signing up for the military is a commitment.
Before a man enlists, he sits down and figures out the costs, and weighs the benefits. My Mom and Dad about had a cow when I signed up ,but I weighed the costs. When I finished my service, I would have money to pay for all school, I'd gain some good training, get my station of choice, had a guaranteed airborne assignment, free boots, free camo, and free bullets! The disadvantages were that college was put off for a while, I enlisted as an E-1, had no free time, and was in a quick strike unit. I sat down with that recruiter, got all details, weighed the cost, and signed up. Why?
Why would a promising football starter like Pat Tillman sign up to go to war? He weighed the costs, but why did he do it?
Joining the army doesn't make one a good warrior. Let's take this to a spiritual plane. Why fight? Many think that memorizing John 3:16 and waiting for the Lord to take them home is enough. Let us take time now to have the word of God expand our vision of a soldier.
Nathan Bedford Forrest was a small man who carried a big 5 ft long sword. Once he was surrounded by 50 union troops whose commander said, "Forrest, give me your sword". His response was, "Here have it," and sliced off the head of the commander. The rest of the Union army fled. His horse was shot in the Jugular vein upon his retreat, yet Forrest rode all the way through enemy lines holding the horses neck and stabbing with the sword. After reaching the other side, the horse fell dead. He knocked a Union soldier off his horse, took the horse, and rode back through enemy lines again. This courage came from a LOST MAN. (Note: Forrest was later saved and served the Lord until he died.)
General Armistat, the CSA general, led troops by putting his hat on his Sword, and marching up front. Why?
Let us learn a lesson here. You may not get recongnition or reward in this life time. Chamberlain waited 30 years to get his, but Christian, there is a reward for fighting.
We have a weak Christianity today. We need valiant warriors, men who will draw the sword and charge headlong into the enemy's camp and cut the head off the enemy. Instead, we do Christian retreats, cruises, and feel good seminars.
Some great soldiers died for their country's cause. I've been in combat with guys who would have laid down their life for me. Their job was, if necessary, to lay down their life for me so I could get done what had to be done.
Joh 15:13 "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."
That's the answer. We aren't ready to die! Listen. We aren't ready to die. You may think you are, but you aren't. Paul wasn't talking about being ready to die in terms of Salvation, HE KNEW HE WAS SAVED WAY BACK IN ACTS. He mentioned in Corinthians "We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord." He knows he is saved, but he wasn't ready to be offered yet, for the next words say " 2Co 5:9 "Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him." That's not about salvation, its about something else.
Again, he desires to go in Philippians, "For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:", but he isn't ready to be offered yet, for the next verse says :"Php 1:24 "Nevertheless." He's staying.
But finally, back to our text: 2Ti 4:6 "For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand." 2Ti 4:7 "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith." 2Ti 4:8 "Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing."
You as a Christian aren't ready to die until you have FOUGHT a GOOD FIGHT, FINISHED your Course, and Kept the faith (That's not saving faith, but THE faith). THEN, you are ready to receive a reward.
Most aren't ready for reward, so you're not ready to die. Paul was. If most of us died today, there'd be no reward. People say, "well, I raised my kids the best I could." Jesus says even a heathen takes care of the kids.
Allow me to leave this discussion with some quotes from famous men. Then we may see why they were ready to die, and we are not.
Jefferson Davis: "We must humble ourselves before Almighty God, not to pray for victory over the enemy, but to plea at His footstool, the Lord of Hosts, who in His perfect Word, reminds us the battle is for the souls of men, whether the earthen battlefield gives us victory or defeat. I therefore call the people of the Confederacy, to pray that we may give Him glory and Honor in the study of His Word, and the ministry of such, that we may be found fit to die, finishing our main battle, that for the souls of men, well. To this end I, Jefferson David, President of the CSA, set the 27th Day of March, as a day of fasting, humiliation, and prayer."
Robert E. Lee: "I am nothing but a poor sinner, trusting Christ alone for salvation, and view this war as an opportuity to take the deepest interest in the spiritaul welfare of men God has gathered in this army to allow me to tell of the doctrines of His grace. I pray that in some way as the enemy seeks to reduce our fathers, mothers, wives, and children, to steal our property and drive us from homes, that amist this calamity, we may find a way to show them the salvation of Jesus Christ before they meet the volley of fire we offer in our own defense. May we all find our valor in our service of Christ the King to be above that of the battlefields of earth. May we all be diligent students of the Bible, and find time, even amid the most active campaigns, to read some portion of God's Word Daily."
Stonewall Jackson: "May we seize the opportunity of the gatherings of men as a soverign move of God that we may have opportunity to take this blessed boot and counsel men in the way to light the pathway."
Robert E. Lee: "Gentlemen, the greatest promotion has happened to me today, having been elected President of the Rockbridge Bible Society, and I pray that I may continue to distribute God's Word through giving of New Testaments to all Those I encounter, including the enemy if God should allow."
During Lee's last year on earth, he gave his wages, in all, to the Lexington Baptist Church (VA). The pastor said of Lee, " If I have ever come in contact with a sincere, devout Christian, one who, seeing himself to be a sinner, trusted alone the merits of Christ, and desired to be ready for death, not a valient warrior, but a one who humbly tried to walk the path of duty to Christ Jesus, Looking unto Jesus, the Author and finisher of his faith, desiring to be ready to be offered by Knowing the Book and giving it to others, That man was General RE Lee. If not he, then Tom Jackson, General Stonewall, who realized the true Stonewall was Jesus Christ."
We aren't ready to die, until we KNOW that we have done ALL we could for a cause worth dying for.
That's why our volunteer army works. Men find the cause worthy to die for.
Jesus died for us. Are you ready to die for him?
One last quote from Paul, the Apostle to us Gentiles - 2Ti 4:13 "The cloke that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest, bring with thee, and the books, but especially the parchments."
If there was ever a man who didn't need to study doctrine, it would be the guy that wrote it! Why this request? 2Ti 2:15 "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
Here is the simple reason why
many are not on the mission field, not in service at their local
church, and detached from the battle in general. We don't love
the Book enough to be offered for it yet. Love for the Word leads
to love of people.
"that you
may know the way by which you must go, for you have not passed
this way before."
Joshua 3:4
With a new year crouching at our door, there are a lot of questions,
doubts and fears as we survey the disturbing events unfolding
quickly around us. Like the Israelites of old we must move closely
behind our Lord, not losing sight of Him, so we may go steadily
forward in a crumbling world. We have not passed this way before.
And there will be towering waves of trials and difficulties to
go through and to rise above, both individually, and collectively.
When I was a child living in North East Brazil I had the privilege
of swimming in the Atlantic Ocean quite often. I learned quickly
that waves were a force with which to be reckoned.
After being tumbled under water and smacked against the sand a
few times, I learned some secrets about dealing with these large
waves.
As a large wave would build I would rush to meet it. If I reached
it quickly enough, I could let its power lift me up and over it.
If it was about to crash, I would dive forcefully into its base,
going straight through it. If I was a bit late in diving into
it, I could end up going into another twisting roll under water.
All this was great fun, of course! Kids seem to have limitless
energy. But even as a kid I did not enjoy getting "beat up
under water. And the larger the waves, the higher the stakes.
Sometimes the waves were so close together it seemed I would just
come up for air when I had to go back under again.
Recalling these times in the ocean, I felt God speak to me about
facing our trials head-on. The Lord would have us, just like Joshua
and the children of Israel, to step forward in courage and faith
to "head into the waves. When we draw back out of fear, our
problems crush us. They tumble us along, and we get "scraped
and "battered. But as we run forward in fierce determination,
there is a power that lifts us up and over the "wave, or
trial, or brings us through safely to the other side. "they
that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall
mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary;
and they shall walk, and not faint. (Is. 40:31) God,s power will
see us through our difficulties. He will cause us to rise above
our circumstances. But we must stay close to Him. We must cling
to Him.
If you use a floating device, it will help you rise above a wave.
But two conditions must be met. You must meet the wave quickly
without hesitation, and you must cling tightly to your device.
In the same way we cannot hesitate at the problems which face
us. We must cling tightly to God and to His promises and surge
full speed ahead. "For
God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of
love, and of a sound mind. (2
Tim. 1:7) So as we face this new year, let us step out with God
and "head into the waves. Look ever to Jesus, He will carry
you through!
GraceLife Ministries is in its 18th year of sharing the Love and Grace of God with people around the world through Christian Martial Arts, Bible Studies and answers to serious life questions. Here is one of the questions we received many years ago and the insights we found then and continue to find in God's precious Word.
QUESTION: I ... am going blind (very slowly). I have read just about everything on healing study the Bible through a number of times and yet I become sicker by the day instead of better. My wife and I lost our daughter before she was born and we prayed and stood firm with confidence I did not know I had and yet she is gone. Now I am suffering with fits of rage... I go to a great church and they along with many others have prayed many, many times for me and it only seems to get worse... My problem is that I feel like giving up. I can't understand how a God who loves us so much allows His children to suffer so much. I know that the life of a Christian will not be a bowl of cherries but there is only so much a person can take. I have great anger towards God for making it so difficult to hear from Him... I'm not sure what you or anyone can do. I do not know what is wrong????? I am not perfect. I fight with sin just like anyone else. I know I am sinning when I am angry at God but is it too much to ask for Him to just teach me like a teacher? Some times I feel like Jesus forgot when He went back to heaven what it is like to live here on earth. If you can offer some advice I would greatly appreciate it. I feel I am entering a depression I may not be able to get out of. I'm sorry to dump this on you but I needed someone to talk to and your writings are very good. Thanks for listening.
ANSWER: First, let me thank you for your honesty. Many Christians are angry with God but don't express it. God has very broad shoulders and can handle our anger, even when it's aimed at Him. Second, let me say that I understand what you're feeling. I have experienced despair and know how debilitating it can be. What I will share with you in this answer is what I learned through personal experience as much as study.
God loves you. That's a fact. I know it doesn't seem that way to you right now, but it's still a fact. God is Love and He loves His children with a Love we cannot fathom. Paul prayed for the Ephesians that they "may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge." (Ephesians 3:18-19) God loves you and He loves me! You may have to say it over and over again to yourself to help break through the depression, unbelief and rage that covers your thoughts and emotions at times. I would never tell you to "snap out of it," because what you are experiencing goes deeper. You feel hurt, rejected and abandoned. That's some pretty tough stuff and God understands. People have hurt, rejected and abandoned Him for centuries. He knows from where you're coming.
One of the great things about the Bible is it introduces us to hundreds of God's people who have gone through every imaginable problem that faces the human race. Start with Adam and Eve and read your way to the end of the Revelation. Every possible human problem is represented. We are not alone. Are you feeling depressed? Read the writings of David and Solomon. Are you suffering loss and pain? Read Job. They knew what it was to be depressed. They knew what it was to be angry. They knew what it was to be rejected and abandoned. Are you full of rage? Read about Moses. See how he learned to handle it. Read about Peter. See what he did. Read the Gospels. See what Jesus did with His anger. Read the Acts and the writings of Paul to see how he handled some of life's most difficult problems. Lots of great lessons for us there.
You mentioned you were slowly going blind. Some Christian medical doctors believe Paul also lost part of his eyesight during his ministry. They believe he may have had the type of illness that made him ugly to look at in addition to taking away the clarity of his sight. Paul wrote the Galatians about his illness. "Even though my illness was a trial to you, you did not treat me with contempt or scorn. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus himself. What has happened to all your joy? I can testify that, if you could have done so, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me." (Galatians 4:12-15) Another possible evidence of Paul's eye problems was when he had difficulty recognizing Israel's high priest. (Acts 23:3-5) Paul wrote the Corinthians he was given a thorn in his flesh to keep him from becoming conceited because of the great revelations God had given him. Paul said the thorn in his flesh was a messenger of Satan and tormented him. Paul said he pleaded with God three times to take the thorn in his flesh away from him. God told Paul, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." What did Paul learn from this experience? "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12:7-10) I doubt this valuable lesson came easily for Paul. He pleaded with God three times to take it away. Whatever it was bothered Paul terribly. If Paul couldn't see well, he would have become dependent on people to help him find his way from place to place and to read and communicate with others. Paul wrote the Thessalonians, "I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand, which is the distinguishing mark in all my letters. This is how I write." (2 Thessalonians 3:17) Paul wrote the Galatians about the large letters he used as he wrote them with his own hand. (Galatians 6:11) Tertius included a line of greetings to the Romans that he had written the letter for Paul. Paul dictated the letters for others to write, but he was always careful to sign each letter as a way to authenticate it for the readers.
My point is that Paul was a man of God who experienced the best and the worst of life. Paul suffered greatly. He may have been partially blind. He may have been hideous to see. He had been beaten and left for dead. He had been hungry. He had been without finances. He had suffered great personal loss. But Paul never gave up. He kept pushing forward. He asked Christians to pray with him that he would preach God's Word faithfully to the end of his life.
Paul was not a superman. He was like you and me. Paul suffered depression. He faced all the normal human reactions to a tough life. But Paul kept going. He wouldn't let Satan defeat him. Paul was determined to finish the race.
Paul knew how tough the race would be for others who followed him. Paul wrote Timothy:
"You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others. Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs--he wants to please his commanding officer. Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor's crown unless he competes according to the rules... Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this. Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God's word is not chained. Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too many obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory."
2 Timothy 2:1-10
The greatest example for us is Jesus Christ Himself. He came to give His best to the world. He came to Israel with open arms. He loved the people and spoke truth to them so they could see the way.
"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
Luke 4:18-19
That's what Jesus said to the people in the synagogue in Nazareth. That was His heart, His vision, His mission. How did those people treat the Messiah of Israel?
"They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff."
Luke 4:29
That's how Israel continued to treat Jesus during His time on earth. He meant them only good. They tried to kill Him. The Israelites finally found a way to kill Jesus through the Romans. That was Christ's reward for loving and caring for His people. They killed Him. That's how Israel treated Christ's disciples. They killed and persecuted them. That's the way it's always been through history.
We rarely understand why bad things happen to good people. We may never know in this life. But certain spiritual truths remain for all of us to see and believe. God never promised Christians their lives would be easy. In fact, God made it clear our lives would be difficult.
Job's life is evidence of something more sinister going on around the believer. It's the evil in the spiritual world that causes us so many of our problems, just like Job. Paul warned Christians to be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. "Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Ephesians 6:11-12) This is a primary spiritual truth in your battle against depression and rage.
Another is how to receive God's protection. Paul told the Philippians to rejoice. "Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:5-7) The word "guard" was the same word use for the special military unit that protected the ruler of Rome. The Praetorian imperial bodyguard would surround Caesar so no enemy could reach him. No one could get through unless Caesar allowed them into his inner circle. The same is true with us. God's peace guards our hearts and our minds. No one gets through unless God allows it. If God allows it, that means He is in control of the action and the outcome. The Greeks understood the heart and mind to be the home of human emotion and thought. We open up our lives to God's protection as we put anxiety aside and go to God in prayer and believe He will do what is best for us. If we decide for God what is best for our lives, we may be wrong. God may have something else in mind. If we try to determine what's best, we may be disappointed. That can lead to despair and anger. Let God know what you think you need and what you want, then relax in His will.
"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
"Give thanks in all circumstances." Man, that's tough. Circumstances can be painful. They often are not what we want to happen. What does God want us to do about it? "Give thanks." Why should we give thanks? "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ." (Ephesians 1:3) You are already blessed! You have already received every spiritual blessing in Christ! You didn't miss out on anything. You have it all, right now! So why don't things work out for us better here? We have every "spiritual" blessing, not every physical blessing. Our future is a spiritual one. Our Kingdom is a Spiritual Kingdom. Our time on earth is a time for service, for giving and sharing the Love of Jesus Christ with a love-starved world. How does God prove His love for people? He sent His Son and He sends us to give them that Love. We are the human instruments of God's Love. God teaches us about His Love so that we can demonstrate His Love to others.
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows."
1 Corinthians 1:3-5
Do you see the beauty of what God wants to do through your life and through mine? He wants us to experience the outpouring of His Love so that we can give His Love to people who are hurting, people in need. God does not want us to hurt. He does not want us to suffer. He wants us to experience His Grace and Love. It's part of having every spiritual blessing. Unsaved people also have trouble in this life. They suffer. But they don't have God's comfort. They have nowhere to go. We have the very Creator of Life living in our hearts. God is there to comfort and encourage us. What a privilege! What a joy!
I am not belittling your pain. I am putting it into perspective. I learned it the hard way; the same way all Christians learn it. You will learn it. You will experience it. You will know the Grace and Love of God in your life and you'll be able to pass it on to someone else in a powerful way. My prayers are with you.
(You can read more answers to tough questions at http://www.gmaf.org/studies.html)
We begin a new section of our newsletter this month to include training ideas from some of the best minds in martial arts and physical fitness. We hope these insights for better training will help you and your students. Consider reading one insight every day and focusing on its importance in your life and training.
"And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem, which is Jebus; where the Jebusites were, the inhabitants of the land. And the inhabitants of Jebus said to David, Thou shalt not come hither. Nevertheless David took the castle of Zion, which is the city of David. And David said, Whosoever smiteth the Jebusites first shall be chief and captain. So Joab the son of Zeruiah went first up, and was chief. And David dwelt in the castle; therefore they called it the city of David. And he built the city round about, even from Millo round about: and Joab repaired the rest of the city. So David waxed greater and greater: for the LORD of hosts was with him."
(1 Chronicles 11:4-9)
"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds."
(Hebrews 12:1-3)
" But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses. I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession; That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen."
(1 Timothy 6:11-16)
"Without beginning, without stopping, without any thought of self-defense one will obtain the highest state. When your movement is fluid, the mind is light and restful. It may take a long time to reach this natural state. So, practice frequently and be good to your body."
(John Chung Li, The Chinese Five Word Song)
"The art of Shinsei is based on the water theory. This statement is not meant to be in the least bit enigmatic but is totally and obviously aplicable to life in all situations. Water, when meeting an obstacle, tends to roll off and flow around it, never meeting force with force. Water gives way. Water is very difficult to stop. It tends to continue to flow. Water finds the smallest cracks in an object, and when it does, it invades and fills any gaps and vacancies it encounters. Water wears away defense, goes into places unseen, invades the smallest opening, and eventually overcomes the strongest obstacle."
(Joseph Lumpkin, Encounter The Warrior's Heart: The Philosophy Of Shinsei Hapkido)
"The most important thing for parents to consider when choosing a martial arts school is to understand that a child's martial arts instructor can be one of the most influential people in a child's life. Parents should choose an instructor who will reinforce the values that are being taught in the home and set a good, stable example for the child. The quality of the instructor is much more important than the style of martial arts practiced."
(Dr. Daryl Covington, Purpose Driven Martial Arts)
"What then do I teach my martial arts students? I teach them to adapt to their surroundings. An ancient Japanese principle sums it up quite nicely; Miza No Kokoru means, mind like water. Just as water in a stream is fluid enough to go around the boulder that lies in its path, we too should forego life's boulders. This applies to the physical principles of self-defense as well as adapting to one's environment. If an enemy who is much stronger throws a punch at us, we may not have the strength to stop it head on. However, deflecting it or redirecting its power might be within our abilities. Just keep in mind that every situation is different and our respones must be flexible."
(J. Brown, Street Smarts From Christian Martial Arts)
"Through discipline in the class, serious students should expect to develop many worthwhile character traits, self-control, restraint, personal discipline, mental concentration, modesty, patience, self-confidence, self-esteem, and many others. These behaviors should be expected to carry over from inside the class to situations outside the class. However, I prefer to see God Confidence, and Christ esteem rather than the focus upon oneself."
(Dr. Karl William Marx, Sr., Martial Art Spirit)
"A warrior is not merely a person who has learned some moves, is able to kick at ninety miles an hour or who has won the world championship in kickboxing. A warrior must earn his title. The martial artist is a person who knows things which go far deeper than just self-defense; he is someone who walks into a room full of people and an immediate calm falls upon that room; he is a person who can touch a person's head, arm, or hand and cause an inner stillness and peace to fall upon that person. "
(Earl Montaigue, The Way of the Warrior, reprinted in Encounter the Warrior's Heart by Joseph Lumpkin and Daryl Covington)
"A true martial artist ... has firm discipline. He trains regularly, and rigorously, disciplining mind and body, learning to control actions and reactions, always stretching ihmself farther than before. He allows for hardening and conditioning exercises that bring discomfort and pain in order to be ready for serious combat, or competition. He is devoted to what he does. His training, fighting style, discipline, and, learning under his Sensei, are his priorities. When he trains, he trains wholeheartedly."
(Philip Lewis, The Ultimate Self-Defense)
"Trained martial artists know that responding to insult in a gentle way softens our enemies' hearts and puts us in a valorous and advantageous position. Romans 12:19-21 demonstrates the wisdom of responding gently rather than reacting out of hurt feelings or furiously heated moments; "Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good."
(Wendy Williamson, Christian Martial Arts 101)
"Training in the martial arts begins with Kihon, which provides the foundation for proper development. Kihon plays the same role in martial arts that the alphabet does in language or numerals do in mathematics. Regardless of rank, the best Kempoka constantly work on their Kihon, striving to improve their fundamental movements."
(William Durbin, Mastering Kempo)
"The warrior trains daily. Physical conditioning, technical proficiency, tactical fluency, spiritual strength, emotional control--these are the substance of his goals and the weapons of his arsenal."
(Forrest Morgan, Living The Martial Way)
"Vivid pictures jostle one another in my mind as I think back about my two teachers and their different philosphies of Karate-do. 'Regard your arms and legs as swords,' Azato used to tell me, while Itosu would advise me to train my body so that it could withstand any blow, no matter how powerful. What he meant, of course, was that I not only must train my body until it became as hard as nails but also must practice daily all the various karate techniques."
(Gichin Funakoshi, Karate-Do My Way of Life)
"... we must endeavor to improve our intellectual powers, such as memory, attention, observation, judgment, reasoning, imagination, etc. But this we should not do in a haphazard manner but in accordance with psychological laws, so that the relation of those powers one with the other shall be well harmonized. It is only by faithfully following the principle of maximum efficiency--that is jiudo--that we can achieve the object of rationally increasing our knowledge and intellectual power."
(Jigoro Kano, The Contribution of Jiudo to Education, as reprinted in The Overlook Martial Arts Reader)
"As for the matter of 'hearing the sound of wind and water,' this means being calm and quiet above while keeping an aggressive mood underneath. Wind has no sound; it produces sound when it hits things. Thus wind is silent when it blows up above. When it makes contact with things like trees and bamboo below, the sound it produces is noisy and frantic. Water also has no sound when it is falling from above; it makes a frantic sound down below when it comes down and hits things. Using these images as illustrations, the point is to be calm and quiet above, while sustaining an aggressive mood underneath. these are images of being extremely serene, unruffled, and calm on the surface, while inwardly being aggressively watchful."
(Miyamoto Musashi, The Book of Five Rings, translation by Thomas Cleary)
"Martial artists are forbidden to act in an unruly manner; soldiers should practise admonition, help people, distinguish themselves and safeguard the people so that the populace can live in peace and have abundant wealth. Therefore learning and fighting arts have the way of truth."
(Wise Sage, reprinted in Okinawan Karate by Mark Bishop)
"Water is an element essential to our survival and shared in common by everyone everywhere, yet we do very little to preserve and replenish it. In the same way, we neglect our bodies, which are often in a chronic state of dehydration and crying out for water to fortify thirsty cells and organ systems. By ignoring the signs, we may be doing ourselves irreparable damage."
(K.C. Craichy, Super Health: 7 Golden Keys to Unlock Lifelong Vitality)
"Walking is the easiest aerobic-conditioning activity and is often preferred because of its low injury rate, relative simplicity and adaptability to busy schedules."
(American Council On Exercise, Personal Trainer Manual)
"Developing great flexibility is one of the easiest tasks in athletic training. It takes little time and effort to reach an exceptional level. Why then do so many people spend hours weekly, year after year, and get such meager results? There are several reasons for it, including the following.
(Thomas Kurz, Stretching Scientifically)
(We'll have more training tips in the next newsletter! Send us your best tips and we'll include them for others to read.)
(We receive many e-mails during the year asking us what we think about practicing Qigong - Chi Kung - with our martial arts as Christians. Here's a recent response I sent to one of those e-mails. If you would like to add to our thoughts, please send us an e-mail and we'll include your ideas in the next newsletter.)
"Qigong (Chi Kung) is a relatively new name for an old concept. Qigong means "energy work" or "energy skill." Qi (Chi) carries the idea of "breath," but goes beyond that to mean the entire energy of a person to the level of individual cells and what powers them. The older Chinese exercise skill was known as Daoyin (the way of gentleness ... leading and guiding the Chi). Daoyin exercises have been found on materials (cloths, pottery, etc) from the 3rd and 4th centuries B.C., so the Chinese have been working with it for a long time. The Chinese who practiced Daoyin at that time were primarily Taoists. Indian Buddhists brought their version of pranayama (energy or breath work) to China during the 5th and 6th centuries A.D. Qigong today is an amalgamation of both Taoist and Buddhist systems. The idea of working with human energy goes back even further into history to the Assyrian, Babylonian, Chaldean, Egyptian, Dravidian and even Sumerian times (ancient Mesopotamia). It's not just an Oriental concept.
The first person to learn about the energy of the human body was Adam. He experienced the power of the human body and brain connectivity while in a state of immortal perfection. His ability to use the energy God designed for the body was without peer in the history of the world. Adam lost much of his physical and mental abilities after he sinned against God, but he didn't lose his memory. He knew what he had in the Garden of Eden and had centuries of living after that to deal with his loss. He would have understood the proper process of breathing, stretching, moving and meditating and would probably have shared that with members of his family and others during his more than 800 years on earth.
The human race has been searching for Adam's original physical and mental powers since sin brought decay and death into the human family. That's where we Christians have to be careful. Much of the discoveries about the energy power of the body and brain have been made while searching for it through the worship of "strange gods." God's people have long been commanded not to become involved in that type of worship. God does not want us to have any other gods "before Him." God must be first in all we do. He alone must receive our worship because He alone is worthy.
So, what do we do with physical exercise that contains deep breathing, slow movements, stretching and meditation? Whatever we do we should do to the glory of God. The spiritual understanding and purpose is the key for anything we do. Adam breathed and moved and stretched and thought deeply about spiritual things. So did Seth and Noah and Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua and all of God's people who followed them. King David meditated on God's Word day and night. He was a warrior (martial arts) and fought and killed many people in his time. He understood the need to exercise, train and practice and have his body and the bodies of his soldiers in superior condition. David would have understood much about working with human physical and mental energy. Solomon, David's son, was not a warrior but he was the wisest human who ever lived. He knew so much about creation and how the natural world worked that people traveled from around the world just to hear him talk about it. Solomon certainly would have understood the source, nature and skill concerning human energy. He was a flawed person, but also a deep thinker who gave us some of the most beautiful and insightful wisdom about how to live for God.
I've been fortunate to learn a lot about working with physical and mental energy from Christian instructors. That has made a big difference for me. I stopped studying martial arts for many years after becoming a Christian because of my previous experiences with Buddhism, Hinduism and Taoism. After studying the Bible for several years I became comfortable with returning to martial arts training. I don't know that I would be as comfortable as I am with practicing Qigong if I hadn't gone through that process. I do the deep breathing, slow moving and stretching while meditating on ideas that are Christian in nature. I know what the Taoists, Hindus and Buddhists think about when they're doing their exercises, but that doesn't stop me from enjoying movement with Christian prayers and thoughts. I breathe and move and stretch to the glory of God!
Members of Grace Martial Arts Fellowship are involved in scores of different martial arts styles. Each one has a special place in the martial arts world. Here are some of the styles represented by members of GMAF. If you don't see your style here, please let us know so we can add it to this impressive list (in alphabetical order).
We will expand the information about these styles in future GMAF newsletters toward the end of expanding our understanding of the martial arts we practice and teach.
Aikido (Traditional)
Aikido (Modernized)
AikiJuJitsu
Akayama Ryu JuJitsu
American Bujutsu
American Freestyle Karate
American Kempo
American Kenpo Karate
American Stratiotia Christou Martial Arts
Arnis de Mano Baston Batongas
Ba Gua Zhang (Pa Kua Chang)
Bahala Na Escrima
Balintawak
Balintawak Arnis Cuentada
Bando
Beikokujin Soo Do
Brazilian Jui-Jutsu
Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu
Bushido Bujitsu
Budoshin-Kai Karate
Butou Taikyokuken
Capoeira
Ch'ang Hon Taekwon-Do
Cha Yon Ryu Karate
Chi Kung (Qigong - this is not a martial arts style, but rather energy-building exercises within many styles of Chinese martial arts ... known as Ki and Ki Kung in Japanese and Korean martial arts)
Chin Na (many believe this is not a style, but rather control techniques within many styles of Chinese martial arts)
Chinese-Hawaiian Kempo
Chinese Kempo
Chinese Kenpo-Karate
Chinese Shaolin Kenpo
Chinese Shaolin Kung-Fu
Chinese Wu-Shu
Ching Sai Do
Chito-Ryu
Danzan Ryu JuJitsu
Doce Pares Arnis
Dragon Ryu
15 Animal Kung Fu
Filipino Kali~Silat
Five Ancestor Kung Fu
Five Animal Kung Fu
Five Family Kung Fu
Goju Ryu Karate
Goshin Jutsu
Guardian Martial Arts (Guardian Karate, Guardian Jujitsu, Guardian Kobujitsu)
Gung-Chuan do
Haganah
Hakko Ryu Jyu-Jitsu
Hapkido
Hao Chuan
Himitsu Kenpo Karate Jitsu
Him-Ki Martial Arts
Hsing-I Ch'uan (Xingyiquan)
Hun Kuen
Hung-gar Kung-Fu
Hykado
Hwa Rang Do
Hwa-Yu T'ai Chi Ch'uan
Iaido
I-Ch'uan
Isshin-Ryu Karate-Do
Isshogai Ryu Karate-Do
Isshogai Ryu Kobudo
Jeet Kune Do
Jidokwan Taekwondo
Jitsuyokai Kempo
Jujutsu
Jukado Self-Defense
Jukido
Jun Fan Gung-Fu
Kachido Aikijitsu
Kai Do San Sport Karate
Kajukenbo
Kajukenpo Pai Lum
Kali
Keichu-Do Karate
Kempojitsu
KemScrima Doh
Kendo
Kenpo Karate
Kenpokido
Kenpo/Lima Lama
Kensho Jiu-Jitsu
Ki Chuan Do
Kidokyo Jungmukwan Taekwondo
Kiyojute Ryu Kempo Bugei
Kobudo
Kobu Jutsu
Kodai Ryu Ju Jitsu
Kodokan Judo
KoJaSho Karate
Kokondo Karate
Koreja Do Karate
Ko Shin Kwan Hapkido
Krav Maga
Kukki-Taekwondo
Kuk Sool Won
Kung Fu San Soo
Kuro Bushi Karate-Do Kempo
Kwon Bop
Kwang Sai Jook Lum
Kyokushinkai
Kyou Do Kan
Kyudo
Kyuki-Do Korean Karate
Kyusho-jistu
Liu Ho Pa Fa Ch'uan Fa
Long Fist Kung Fu
Makeuti Jiu Jitsu
Mang Ho
Matayoshi Kobudo
Matsubayashi-Ryu Okinawan Karate
Modern Arnis
Moosul Kwan Hapkido
Muay Thai
Nan Chuan-South Shaolin Gung Fu
Ninjutsu
Nippon Ketsugo ryu Jujitsu
Northern Shaolin Eagle Claw Kung Fu
Okinawa Te
Okinawa Tomari Kempo
Okinawan Karate-Do
Okinawan Kempo
Okiwawan Kempo Shojukempo Karate-do
Okinawan Seidokan Karate Kobudo and Toide
Pai Lum Gung Fu
Pambuan Arnis
Pang Gai Noon Kung Fu
PaSaRyu TaeKwonDo
Pencak Silat
Pikiti Tirshia
Praying Mantis Kung Fu
Presas Modern Arnis
Quan Li K'an
Rendokan Jiu Jitsu
Ryukyukai Karate-do
Samarai Kempo
Savate
Seito Matsumura Shorin-Ryu
Seiwa Kai
Serrada Escrima
Shaolin-Do
Shaolin Kenpo
Shen Wu Pai
Shern Sho
Shin Nagare Karate
Shinobu Bujinkan Ninjutsu
Shinsei Hapkido
Shinsei JuJitsu
Shito-Ryu Karate-Do
Shojukempo
Sho Muk Do
Shorin Gi Ryu Kempo
Shorinji Ryu Kenpo
Shorin Jiu Te Do Karate
Shorin-Ryu Karate-Do
Shorin Ryu Kobudo
Shorin-Shorei (traditional) Karate
Shoshinkan Karate
Shotokan-Justsu
Shotan Karate
Shotokan Karate
Shudo Kan
Shuri Te
Sil Lum
Small Circle Jujitsu
Soma Ryu Ju Jitsu
Soma Ryu Kenjutsu
Soo Bahk Do Moo Duk Kwan
Sungja-Do Hapkido
Sun Lu Tang Xingyi
Taam Lo Weng San Kung Fu
Taeken-Jitsu
Tae Kwon Do
Tae Kwon Do - Ji Do Kwan
Tae Kwon Do Moo Duk Kwan
T'ai Chi Ch'uan (Taijiquan)
Taijiquan Beijing Style
Taike-Do
Takeshin Sogo ryu Jujutsu
Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan
Ten Shin Ichi Ryu
Tokoshi- Kan Karate
Tokukai Karate
Tomari Te
Tomiki Aikido
Tong Show Kung Fu
Tora Karano Shinsei Kenpo
Tora Tsuru Ryukyu Kempo Te
TorukuKai AikiJitsu
Tsuki Bu-Do Kai
Uechi-Ryu Karate-Do
Wado-Ryu Karate-Do
Wah Lum Kung Fu
Wah Lum Praying Mantis Kung Fu
White Crane Kung Fu
White Tiger Hop Chi Dao
Wing Chun Kung Fu
Yama Ryu Jiu Jitsu
Yang Style T'ai Chi Ch'uan
Yishendo Kenpo Eskrima Jiu-Jitsu
Yon Ch'uan Martial Arts (Soft Fist)
Youn Wha Ryu
Yudo
Zen Budoakai Aikijujitsu
You'll find hats, mugs, mouse
pads, journals, shirts and other great gift items with the GMAF
logo on them at www.cafepress.com/ambassadorma/2225722.
Thanks to Professor Phil Lewis of Ambassador Martial Arts for
setting up the GMAF store for us. We hope you enjoy it!
Confident Kid Martial Arts is looking for Christian martial artists who want an exciting opportunity for a new ministry in 2007! Dr. Robert Xavier is founder and director of CKMA and has openings for sponsors and instructors in developing the lives and hearts of young people across the United States. If you would like to be part of an exciting organization that is reaching out to touch the lives of thousands of children and young people through Christian martial arts, please contact Dr. Xavier to learn more about how you can start a CKMA chapter in your community. Confident Kid Martial Arts is also planning for new training opportunities, so we appreciate your prayers in the coming year as the ministry expands.
International Sungjado Association Presents
Senior Master George Petrotta, 8th Dan
Korean Martial Arts Seminar
Four-hour Hapkido Clinic
Saturday, May 19, 2007 from 10am - Noon (1st session) and 1pm - 3pm (2nd session)
Closing ceremony 3-3:15pm
(Participation certificate will be available)
International Academy of Martial Arts, 1350 Hwy 501 Business, Suite 4, Conway, South Carolina, 29526
Registration fee $30 at the door
(All instructors who bring five or more students to participate will enter FREE)
Make checks payable to IAMA. Visa and Master Card also accepted.
Call Mr. Dave Harrell at 843-234-4888 for more information or e-mail iama@sccoast.net.
Karate for
Christ International
All
American Christian Martial Arts Tournament
The Fifth Annual Smoky Mountain Christian Martial Arts Classic Home of the Karate for Christ World Championships.
June 9, 2007
Sevier County High School
1200 Dolly Parton Parkway, Sevierville, Tennessee
8:00am 9:00am REGISTRATION, 9:00am BLACK BELT MEETING
The tournament will be held June 9th 2007 at the Sevier County High School on Dolly Parton Parkway in Sevierville, TN. The first place winner of each event will hold the world title for Karate for Christ for the year in that event. We will also have an overall World Grandchampion that will receive a Grandchampionship Belt. The person with the most points at the end of the tournament will receive this belt. This tournament will be held every year. Contact number 865-654-9791.
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 few months.
(I know you will join us in praying for each of these Christian martial artists, their families and ministries.)
Hello everyone!
I wanted to let everyone know we now have a house church planted
in one of our public housing areas. The leaders of that church
live there and He pastored for many years before retiring here.
Jerry and Marlene have a deep passion for those in thier area
and we are excited about what God is doing there. We are now praying
about planting 2 more house churches in Wendell, N.C. and in a
huge trailer park in Zebulon, N.C. Jerry and Marlene are also
going to be conducting sidewalk sunday schools as well for the
kids there. We have asked God for sometime to give us stable leadership
grounded in the word with a zeal for the gospel of Jesus Christ.
We got our karate kids promoted and are excited about the next
semester as we teach them about the 2 most important commandments
that God gave us concerning love. We start practice with our T.K.S.
demo team this month.
I was in the projects today visiting when I was called into a
apartment by Jim who lives by himself and suffers from prostate
cancer. He showed me his cupboards and refrigerator and they were
totally empty. He told me that he ask God about what to do and
the Lord said he was sending someone to help him with food. He
had two hamburgers left and a can of corn. He only gets 47.00
dollars a month in food stamps. Jim was saved through one of our
food outreaches. We are going to load him down tommorrow with
food and we are putting him on our season saints list to deliver
food to each month. I saw one of our single moms who had suffers
from clinical depression. She is doing her best to keep her household
together but she finds it hard to do. She just got out of the
hospital after a mental break down. Why am I telling these stories?
Because when you and I reach out to the poor we reach out to Christ.
Jesus works through us and as we minister to those in need He
ministers to us. Think about it!
A pretty big
announcement!!!!!
We are going to host the first ever Takinit2thestreets Block Party
in our ministry area in Zebulon coming in July. This includes.....
Power Kids S.S.S.
T.K.S. Karate demo team
T.K.S. puppet team
T.K.S. ministry team
Hot dogs and hamburgers
games
giveaways
bread giveaway
music (I just love the Doobie Brothers)
The offical
launching out of our house church pastors as they crank up S.S.S.'s
and a adult fellowship right smack in the middle of satans play
ground.
A first ever T.K.S. healings in the street service
I will be delivering a short but relevant message to the people
who live there. The title is 'Rocking with Jesus!' (I wouldn't
be surprised if Elvis showed up) :^)
If you are interested in helping let us know. Right now we need
prayer warriors who are grounded in the word and have a heart
for lost souls. After what happened at Virginia Tech its time
to light up a blow torch under satans rear end. This has really
affected our son Joshua as he has professors who attended VT.
Life is fragile and in a fleeting second be lost to all eternity.
More info is coming and you can contact us at 919-604-7778 or
e-mail us here at restoration@nc.rr.com.
Blessings to all!
Lee and Juanita Hood
T.K.S. Ministries
KIM, Jae
Joon, 77 of Brandon, entered into rest January 9, 2007. He had
resided in the area for 20 years, coming from Detroit, Mich. He
was a member of Spring Water Presbyterian Church and the grandmaster
of World Moo Duk Kwan Tang Soo Do Federation. He is survived by
his loving wife, Kum Soon Yun; sons, Nam Kim, Saul Kim, Eric Kim;
daughters, Myong Kim and husband, Soo, Shim Kim and husband, Frank;
and 12 grandchildren. The family will receive friends 8:30 a.m.-2
p.m., with the funeral service conducted 10-11 a.m., Thursday,
January 11, 2007, at Stowers Brandon Chapel .
Respectfully submitted
Ken Marsh
Cary Tang Soo
Do, Raleigh, North Carolina
Something
to Ponder: " Here is the test to find whether your mission
on earth is finished: If you're alive, it isn't." Richard
Bach
That's pretty simple, straight forward, direct and to the point,
isn't it? If you're alive, you have a mission to accomplish. You
have a reason for being, a purpose. Ergo, I will boldly claim,
none of us who continue to breath and enjoy a heartbeat have any
excuse to say that we have nothing to do or that we're bored.
In my line of work of accounting and finance (and likely in many
other lines), there is an unwritten rule. The more work you do,
the more work you create. An accountant is never really finished.
How many numbers are there? That's how many ways there are of
looking at, and applying, those numbers to each of an equal number
of scenarios. Now THAT is job security! It's not an accident
that accountants are always in demand. The same is true for teachers,
nurses, DEA agents, policemen, inventors and so on. The point
is there is always something that needs to be done. As long as
there are mechanically challenged people such as I, auto mechanics
will have a job....so will electricians, plumbers, handymen, and
so on. As long as your government wants to take money out of our
pockets in the form of taxes and businesses need financial reports
that make sense, people like me will have a job. Whatever your
job skill, there is always a need for it. Yes, companies come
and go and people lose jobs and find jobs and things get shifted
around. But the demand for your skill and your ability will always
be there...at least until God calls you home. So, Mr. Bach is
correct - if you're walking and able to function, you have stuff
to do. You would be wise not to waste that and you may as well
enjoy it and give it your all. Today, I encourage you to attack
your day with energy, vim, vigor, enthusiasm, joy, and a sense
of adventure knowing that in so doing, God will bless your attitude
and heart and make your day magnificent! Get after it!
"This is the day the Lord has made, Rejoice and be glad in
it." Smile - what better way to invest in a day of life than
by giving it all to God? Now get out there and maximize your day!"
In His Service,
Jeff
The following
Dvd's may be purchased through Prof Phil Lewis, founder of Shinsei
Ryu Kenpo & Arnis:
PARTNER DRILLS:
Partner hand and weapon drills from Kenpo, Wing Chun, & Arnis
all with Biblical names.
SELF-DEFENSE:
Escapes, & counters to pushes, grabs, kicks & weapon attacks,
with names
such as "Samson,s Escape, "Sudden Rapture & "Mordecai,s
Refuge.
THE BIBLE KATA:
A very complete form which takes you on a walk through the whole
Bible.
THE GENESIS KATA:
A short, flowing form which takes you through the six days of
Creation.
THE ARMOR OF GOD KATA:
A quick, dynamic form based phrase by phrase on Ephesians 6:10.
THE SHEPHERD,S KATA:
Soft-style, flowing form based phrase by phrase on Psalms 23.
-18.
WAY OF THE CROSS:
An advanced dramatic form which takes one through the suffering,
death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ.
THE BOOK OF FORMS:
A collection of 23 Shinsei Kenpo Kata demonstrated.
KICKING DRILLS:
Some unique kicking drills from various art forms, including partner
drills, solo exercises, strengthening drills, and combinations.
ARNIS SINGLE STICK:
Angles of attack, single stick drills, methods of striking, passing
& parrying, open and closed defense, sumbrata, disarms, kata
& more.
ARNIS DOUBLE STICKS:
Double stick drills, figure 8,s, Redonda, Single, Double, &
Reverse Sinawali, counters, empty hand application & more.
NUNCHAKU:
Karate weapon of self-defense blocking, striking, whipping, trapping,
kata.
ADVANCED COUNTERS:
Over 100 counter attacks against punches, kicks, and stick attacks;
empty-hand, and single stick counters.
14. BASICS VIDEO: Requirements for the first belt.
15. ONE STEPS VIDEO: The required 1-step techniques of Shinsei
Kenpo. (30-40 variations)
Cost is $18.00 ea (includes shipping and handling)
Payments may be sent via Pay Pal through lewisline2@juno.com
or check or money order to
Phil Lewis
6968 Northland Dr NE
Rockford, MI 49341
We have
a request from a brother in Christ in Ephrata, PA.. Ephrata is
about halfway between Reading (to the north) and Lancaster. Not
very far from the PA turnpike and Route 222, which leads to I-78.
His church has about 200-220 youth and children in their AWANA
program and is looking for someone to come and give a self-defense
/ awareness demo / speech to their church group, as well as a
short demo. If you could do this as a ministry, he would greatly
appreciate it. His phone number is: 717 733-9428. His name is
Bill.
Also, anyone willing to do this, please send me an email to let me know you have contacted him. Thanks, Daryl
Christian martial arts schools continue to receive news coverage and we're excited to share some recent articles about GMAF member schools.
The Blue Ridge Karate Club in Buena Vista, Virginia was featuerd in The Roanoke Times.
Grace Martial Arts in Tampa, Florida was featured in a weekly newspaper.
Hickory
resident, now Duke University student, overcomes adversity, earns
black belt
By JENNIFER MENSTER
Hickory Record Staff Writer
Monday, January 15, 2007
HICKORY - One week ago, Sam Regenbogen achieved his first-degree black belt. It took him four years to do so. Along the way, he overcame a life-threatening illness.
Regenbogen, 19, a sophomore at Duke University, was diagnosed March 2005 with Ulcerative Colitis. His body was eating away at his large intestine. He was 17 and in pain. He spent two weeks at Frye Regional Medical Center before he was sent to UNC-Chapel Hill's hospital in Durham.
During emergency surgery, Regenbogen's colon was removed. Two months later, he had another surgery to have his small intestine to do what the large intestine is supposed to do, he said.
Regenbogen
is better. Although, he says he still experiences chronic pain
from the surgeries and gets dehydrated easily because his body
can't absorb water as well. He continues studying karate. He graduated
from Hickory High School in 2005. He is now studying biology with
a concentration in pharmacology at Duke University. He wants to
earn a Ph.D. in pharmacology and do research at a drug company.
On Jan. 6, he earned his first-degree of black belt. He said it
wasn't easy. But with the support of his family, friends, instructor
and Lord, he made it through.
What do you love about karate?
I was always a pretty timid kid, and karate really helped boost my confidence in myself, and, though it sounds kind of dumb, toughened me up.
Where do you see your future with karate going?
I don't plan on opening my own school, but I definitely would like to continue in Tang Soo Do and to continue progressing in rank. Maybe somewhere down the road, I will instruct in some fashion, but at this point, I just don't know.
At your age, do you think you've learned more than most college kids?
I think I have more personal experience in overcoming adversity than most. Although, I think everyone has problems they have to overcome. I also have the example of my 16-year-old sister who, despite going through the struggle of having Lyme Disease, is also going to be a black belt in a few months or less. Really, the way she overcomes that adversity every single day is what encouraged me to continue many times when I wanted to quit.
In three words, how would you describe yourself?
Christian, black belt and gamer.
Please send your news to Mark McGee for the next newsletter!
We welcome these new members to Grace Martial Arts Fellowship. They have joined GMAF within the past few months. We hope you will take a moment to send them a note of welcome to our fellowship of Christian martial artists.
10th Dan IEMOTO ... Tsuki Bu-Do Kai
Founder: Tsuki Bu-Do Kai Martial Arts Society International
6th Dan - Budoshin Karate
5th Dan- American Kempo
4th Dan - Shotokan
3rd Dan - Iaido
1st Dan - Tora Tsuru Ryu Kyu Kempo Te
Ordained Minister of Christ Jesus
Gold sash ... MAO-YIN Dragon Kung Fu
5th Dan ... Fung-Ying Kung Fu
3rd Dan ... Tae Kwon Do
3rd Dan ... Aikido
Instructor in Chin style Tai Chi Chi'uan, also teach the art of Chin Na applications.
Over 40 years i