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August 31, 2006

my horrible day

I knew from the moment I woke up, that today was going to be a very bad, horrible, terrible, no good day.

I overslept, managed to still make it to work only moderately late, was only able to pack half my lunch,I felt horrible, nothing selled out of my aisle, the remodel crew messed the shelves up, instead of giving me money to mark stuff down several items went back to the original price, they messed with my peg hooks, there was a cart of junk waiting for me, they bent a hook into a u with merchandise still on it, i pulled a muscle in my shoulder while bending the metal hook straight so I could get the merchandise off the hook, I was forced to buy an instant ice pack and some icy hot patchs so I could move due to excrutiating pain in my shoulder, I didn't get anything done the first hour of work due to pain, I couldn't find a telxon or a printer, I finally found a telxon and printer but they wouldn't connect all day, due to said connection problems i couldn't print any labels, Marvin wasn't there to give me any money to get rid of stuff, they still don't have any one to replace me so I could go to sporting goods, I am running out of money from my pay check (no surprise), the stuff we marked to half the other day isn't selling fast enough, they keep giving me more stuff to put in clearance and I am running out of room, did I mention the telxon and printer wouldn't connect so I could print my labels, I couldn't do my job due to lack of resources which is intensely frustrating, my lunch was cold, I finally got off and got home and once again they locked the stupid door in the middle of the afternoon when they are home in a town of less than a thousand people after we have decided that that wasn't going to happen again (growl!!!), it rained today which means that I won't get the lawn mowed till next week, i ran out of ink in my printer and had to print my paper in blue, which ran out because it was a 68 page paper, i had an extra color cartridge but didn't catch it until about 10 pages was mixed color, despite the ice packs and icy hot patches my shoulder still hurts, i have to work tomorrow so I won't be able to go to stl until evening which was fine until my kung fu teacher asked me if I wanted to go with him to wentzville for a kung fu class at 230 in the pm but I can't cause I won't be there in time, and now I have to go to bed so I can get up and be at work by 730 am (I hate mornings!) tomorrow morning and I can't sleep because I just watched a really great movie (take the lead) and I am all excited!


aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaggggggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


ok, I am better now.

It was a really great movie?!?!

August 29, 2006

very good article

Download file


A friend, Amanda, sent me this article. Very good. I highly recommend that you download and read it.

August 28, 2006

Subscription to my blog

It turns out that my blog has a nifty little cool function that allows people to be emailed when I post a new entry.

I doubt that anyone will want to be emailed but if you do, just comment below and I will add your name to the list.

August 27, 2006

downloadable essay - Being Content With Today, Without Knowing Tomorrow

Download file


feel free to download and use at your discretion. I only ask that you give credit where credit is due, and that if you find it helpful, let me know so that I can rejoice with you.


thanks!!

downloadable essay - Freedom from Fear

Download file


feel free to download and use at your discretion. I only ask that you give credit where credit is due, and that if you find it helpful, let me know so that I can rejoice with you.


thanks!!

downloadable essay - Retail Judgment

Download file

feel free to download and use at your discretion. I only ask that you give credit where credit is due, and that if you find it helpful, let me know so that I can rejoice with you.


thanks!!

August 25, 2006

thoughtful words

Freedom without Honor is meaningless.

- Tealc, Stargate SG-1

August 17, 2006

Comrads in Arms

My testimony:

I was born in Ft. Worth, TX on Dec. 5, 1981 while my father was in Seminary. I was born into a strong Christian family. I was 5 years old when I knew that I was a sinner, and that if I didn't accept Jesus into my heart and my life as Savior and Lord I would go to hell, despite what I believed or my family's faith. Yet I let fear hold me in its icy grip for two years until I became more afraid of hell than I was of being in public and of water. The day was Dec. 4th, 1988, it was a Sunday. It was the last day of an outdoor tent revival, and I had been fighting it all week. On that last day, I heard God tell me, "It's today, or it's never." I knew that if I didn't face my fear and win today, then I would lose my whole life. So that moment, without my father who had promised to walk up with me all week, I moved out of my seat and made my way to the front to talk to my pastor, Larry Marlin. I could hear my mother tell my father, "well, go with him." and I knew my father was following me. I walked to my pastor and I told him, I need to accept Jesus as my Savior. He asked me a few questions, and together, my father and my pastor and I prayed that Jesus would enter my heart and my life, forgive me of my sins, and take control of my life -- and you know what? He did. And I have never once regretted it.

My ministry:

My ministry is the result of my spiritual walk intersecting with the lives of other people, both in and out of the church. I use my martial arts to build bridges and communicate spiritual truth to people. I use my blog to use my writing skills to inspire, encourage, educate, and exhort other people to a life of godliness. I use my job as a place to share God with people. I teach Sunday school, I volunteer assist leading the youth group at my church, and I mentor people individually in their spiritual walk. All of this requires a great deal of study and training and I sometimes walk a fine line in terms of having the ability to perform those functions. I make mistakes, I often find myself unqualified and in a quandry of how to answer questions, prepare and present the next lesson, conduct the next class, plan the next activity, fill the next roll.

Please pray for me.

Now that I have gone first, it's your turn. You may not do anything like what I do, you may do less, you may do more. You may just do one miniscule thing (in your eyes), but please do share. We need the prayer and support of all of our comrads in arms to make it through. I know that I need prayer, and I know you do too. So please, in the comments, share with me your testimony briefly and a short description of how you share in the kingdom burden so that I may be praying for you and together we may all bear each other's burdens in love so that the body may be edified.

don't be afraid, everybody does something, everybody has a testimony, and everybody's is equally valuable and important. Don't let fear rob you of the support, and me the opportunity to pray.

August 16, 2006

downloadable essay - Wake up Call

Download file


feel free to download and use at your discretion. I only ask that you give credit where credit is due, and that if you find it helpful, let me know so that I can rejoice with you.


thanks!!

August 13, 2006

kung fu class

Sept. 10 starts the 7 week kung fu class I will be teaching for my church. I am excited, and I look forward to it.

Knowing nothing save...

Evangalism isn't about elequance or intellect, tactics or techniques. It is about being single minded. It is about only knowing about one thing in your life and therefore only being able to talk about one thing -- Jesus and His death upon the cross.
1 Cor. 2:1-5:
(2:1) When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. (2:2) For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. (2:3) I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. (2:4) My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, (2:5) so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.

This doesn't mean that we are ignorant of other topics, but what it does mean is that every topic becomes an avenue through which Christ is known by us in our lives. An avenue through which we identify with God.

By the shear volume of opportunities that you will create with people, you will be more productive a witness, even if you never rise to elequence or intelligence.

See, there is hope for me yet.

(too ugly to care, to stupid to quit; that's me)

talk at y'all later!!

August 11, 2006

Chicken Step -- Ji Bu

The Chicken Step, Ji Bu, is one of my favorite kung fu moves.

this is how it works:

from a right side lead stance, right leg forward, you would lift your front foot (right) and put it down on the exact spot your rear foot (left) was. Now, you're thinking how can two objects occupy the same spot at the same time? They can't, and that is the next phase of the technique. You have to lift the rear foot (left) while the front foot (right) is still in the air, which means that for a split second, you are air born and actually falling into the next position. Note for correct application, you should not jump to be air born, simply lift your foot and fall into the new position. (notice the repeated statemet, this must be important: don't jump, fall!) Then place your once-rear foot (left) down in front. Congratulations, you have switched your feet!!

APPLICATION:

Every time you chicken step, you have the option of kicking with the foot before you place it back down (new front foot). Its a great thing to do when someone tries to sweep that front foot, or if they try to sweep you completely.

STORY OF APPLICATION:

I was sparring with a guy named Tom, who tried to do an aikido takedown on me that involved a leg sweep. He did a wonderful job, and took my feet right out from under me; so I chicken stepped, and instead of trying to catch my balance, just lifted my feet up and repositioned them underneath me and I fell onto my feet. The unexpected result was that he ended up on the ground, and I was standing over him.
"What happened?!" he exclaimed "This is backwards from what was supposed to happen."
"I don't know," I said "But I like it."

practice it, figure it out, see if you can master it. Its a fun way to switch your feet and has more uses than I care to list online.

August 07, 2006

personal friend of youth member dies in car accident

the day after she felt the need to go talk to him about the gospel and chose not to, now she feels guilty and full of grief. I feel her pain. download this essay and read it to find out why:

Download file

August 04, 2006

kung fu class update

I met with the mother and grandmother of the seven year old student who might be taking kung fu from me. They seemed impressed, and said that in a couple of weeks, they will probably come by and start taking classes. They are going to spread the word to their cousins, and I may be picking up as many as 5 student through this. We shall see.

August 03, 2006

kung fu class

Tomorrow (8-4-06) I will be meeting with a family about enrolling their 7 year old son in kung fu with me. The week after next, a teenage girl from my church will be beginning kung fu with me. It looks like my class might be taking off. We shall see. It sure would be great to see it become successful.

Pray that the Lord will lead and direct me in this class, and that it will be not only a successful kung fu class, but also a successful ministry.


thanks!!!

Half steps

Last night I watched Joshua Harris' video on purity, and he made a comment that got my mind to thinking (no jokes please ;)

He said that purity was lost by tiny little steps away from righteousness, away from holiness. He cited David and his sin with Bathsheba. That whole little episode began with this thought: that when kings went to war, David stayed home. It was not a big deal, just a little step. He wasn't were he should have been. Then he saw a woman bathing on her rooftop, and instead of looking away and praying away the sinful thoughts, he looked. He watched, he lingered, he lusted. Then he called for her, and one thing led to another until not only was he an adulterer, but a lier, and a murderer too.

All because he took a few little steps, half steps towards sin away from God's holiness.

Being the martial minded person that I am, I naturally thought of some kung fu concept that I could use to parallel this idea, and it came quite naturally. I have found that one of the best ways to close the gap with someone, or to force them back, isn't with brute force or by leaping a great distance, but by taking small steps. We call them half steps and we use them to cover, create, or keep distance between our opponents and ourselves.

It would amaze you how close I can get to you without you even knowing it by only taking half steps. Or, even force you into a corner that you don't want to be in by taking half steps. I can work my way through a very crowded room by half steps, and step someone all the way across the room and never take a big step.

sometimes we let ourselves get worked into a corner, or forced into a spot that comprimises our witness, that effects our own relationship with God without ever even realizing it because we never took a big step. Many times, as I was a beginner, I had a tendancy to get myself backed into a corner. I never could figure out how I got there. Then one day, I realized that it was because I wasn't being aware of the small steps that I was taking backwards. From that day on, I began using that to my advantage, taking small steps forward.

Just like that realization and the application of taking small steps forward, we need to spiritualize it and begin taking steps towards holiness and purity and not away from it.

thanks for reading, write at ya later.

friend in need of prayer

You remember my friend who was fired from his job as a youth minister, yeah that was a bad deal. A lot of church politics and poor leadership involved in that deal but they are ok. They are being looked at by 3 different churches and things look good that at least one of them will want them.

2 prayer requests:

1: that God will lead them to make the right decision.
2: that they will be able to find a new place to live and get into it before the end of the month.

thanks