Too many mind... be of "no mind"

"Forget your sadness, anger, grudges, and hatred. Let them pass like smoke caught in the breeze. You should not deviate from the path of righteousness; you should lead a life worthy of a man. Don't be possessed by greed, luxury, or your ego. You should accept sorrows, sadness and hatred as they are, and consider them a chance for trial given to you by the powers... a blessing given by nature. Have both your mind and your time fully engaged in budō (1), and have your mind deeply set on bujutsu (2)." ~ Masaaki Hatsumi

(1) Budō: is a Japanese term describing Japanese martial arts. Literally translated it means the "Martial Way", and may be thought of as the "Way of War".
(2) Bujutsu: In modern usage, bujutsu, meaning martial/military art/science, is typified by its practical application of technique to real-world or battlefield situations.

This quote speaks volumes to me.  Both as a soldier, and as a Christian.  As a soldier, rarely is there time for the luxury of holding a grudge, of allowing anger or hatred to cloud your judgement.  While i have never experienced actual combat where the lead density was reaching unhealthy levels, i have had to train, and was graded under "high intensity" situations (never did master 'break from contact'

- also, i would never equate what i went through in training, with what those who have actually seen combat and have had to go through).  One has to be able to focus on the tasks at hand and what needs to be done.  It is not a time for self indulgence.

As for the Christian part, several verses come to mind.  "Forget your sadness, anger, grudges, and hatred. Let them pass like smoke caught in the breeze." God's Word tells us, "You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also." (Matthew 5:38-39, ESV)  Ultimately our security, our redeemer, our protector, is God Himself.

"You should not deviate from the path of righteousness; you should lead a life worthy of a man." Jesus says, "Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few." (Matthew 7:13-14, ESV)  In our case, we are followers of Christ.  We are NOT worthy to be called followers of God, but because of Christ's completed work on the cross, we are being transformed into the image of Christ.  Romans tells us, "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers." (Romans 8:28-29, ESV)

"Don't be possessed by greed, luxury, or your ego."  This one the Jesus spoke directly to the first two points, "And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”" (Matthew 19:23-24, ESV), as for the third, "Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 9:23-24, ESV)  The role of a Sergeant is "to serve", the role of the samurai is "to serve", we are to serve the Lord in each and every breath, for He is our Lord, our God.

"You should accept sorrows, sadness and hatred as they are, and consider them a chance for trial given to you by the powers... a blessing given by nature."  The sorrows... the sadness and hatred, these are a result of man's fall from grace in the garden; "And to Adam he said,“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”" (Genesis 3:17-19, ESV)  To me, this suffering is a blessing.  It shows me the need for me to turn back to my God, it shows the penalties of sin (in but a glimpse).  It is indeed a blessing and a mercy by God.  Like learning that when i touch a hot stove (despite a parental warning), and i get burned.  The wound will heal, but the memory will last.

"Have both your mind and your time fully engaged in budō, and have your mind deeply set on bujutsu." For us, the followers of Christ, our "way of the sword" does not lie in Kendo, or Aikido, or any of the other recognizable 'martial arts'.  Our Way lies in the path of Christ, the way of our Lord.  Our 'katana' is the very word of God.  Some of us are 'warriors' in the traditional sense, armed in the defense of others, but every follow of Christ should train themselves in the way of God and follow Him and His Word - His entire Word.  Each of us are called to serve where we are, and to where He takes us.  This is not a call to arms, a call to fight, this is a call to serve in whatever capacity He calls you to."Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.  Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained." (Philippians 3:8-16, ESV)

It was Tuesday and all through the house... wait...wrong holiday...

My beloved finds humor in a lot of things i do, and the way i think. To be honest here... this has led to no small amount of confusion and consternation over the years ~ on my part. When the latest Star Trek movie came out there was a scene where three crew members are heading out on a dangerous mission. The three people are Kirk, Sulu, and another crew member (the name escapes me). The requirements are people that are 'highly skilled' in hand to hand combat. On the shuttle trip out to where they were going to secretly deploy on an Airborne-like mission, Kirk turns to Sulu and asks him what he is skilled at. I feel the answer is priceless. Without batting an eye Sulu responds, "Fencing". I found this funny because i know of what most "westerners" are going to envision. Two men with Epees held lightly in hand, with their "off" hand held in a curve behind their head, saying En Garde! and touché! When i later told my beloved of my finding humor at this she looked at me quizzically, so i explained to her what it most likely meant in the context of the characters. Sulu is born to Japanese and Filipino parents. While Gene Roddenberry named the character Sulu in order to represented all Asian heritages, the man is still part Japanese. The Japanese sword fighting style is known as 'Kendo', and is often referred to as fencing. This immediately caused my beloved to begin laughing. You see, there was a back ground piece on something we were watching where a commentator referred to 'Kendo' as Japanese "stick fighting" and that had caused an immediate reaction on my part. It was not a grace-filled reaction, and let's leave it at that. Her finding humor in such things used to really go against my grain, but i have learned that she is not demeaning me personally. Such things are just so foreign from her experiences, the normal range of things she typically thinks about that they sometimes surprise her and to some extent baffle her. She finds humor/joy (well, at least i hope on the latter) in seeing just how different i am from her. I often catch her staring at me with a smile on her face... often when i am concentrating on something like how many more miles we have to go and if we have enough gas to get there and how much time it will be until both our arrival and/or when we need gas. So, when Sulu answered "fencing" i knew what he meant and i looked forward to his up coming encounter with the Romulans. I liked George Takei's interpretation of Sulu, but i am liking John Cho's version a little bit more. I am sure it has more to do with the more "modern" version of the movie, but i sure hope to see more of his character in any sequels. I have been with my beloved for over seventeen years now, and i am praying for at least three times that more. I hope i continue to entertain her with such idiosyncrasies for just as long. To my shame i am often not aware of the little things that make her up. I try and pick up on the clues, and sometime downright blaring lights, but i often miss them. This Thanksgiving i am thankful for her practicality, her enjoyment at my 'expense, her beautiful hair, her gorgeous deep eyes, the way she often just wants to be near me, and the fact that her feet get incredibly cold at night and she likes to stick them up against me. She is my biggest blessing on this Earth. She is the instrument in which God uses to make me a better Christian, a better man, a better husband, and a better father. She truly completes me. Thank you Father God for the gift of my beloved. You have indeed shown me favor.

Hello Friday!

This weekend is the dreaded match up between the Carolina Panthers and the New Orleans Saints. When i first checked Carolina were thirteen point underdogs, but depending on where you check they might only be at plus eleven. In the past some of the Panthers best games have been when they are not expected to win against division opponents. I think this game will be a good game - even for just football fans. Most of the games in recent years have been decided by less than a touchdown. I doubt it will be televised on any of my local channels so i will just have to watch it on NFL.com. I will be happy if Carolina covers the spread, and ecstatic if they manage a win. There are some things moving in the right direction for the Panthers. I get nervous though when all the news agencies can focus on is the Panthers or Jake Delhomme's win streak in the Superdome. Sooner or later all streaks come to an end. I am just hoping it's not this weekend. If the Panthers can't win the division and go to the playoffs i am hoping the Saints do it.

This weekend my beloved and i have deliberately kept the schedule somewhat reduced. DS1 has his Social Studies Fair project coming due very soon, DS2 needs a break from all the running around, and DD3, well - maybe we can find a friend to come over, or her go to. 8) The run up to Thanksgiving is going to be crazy busy with some Autism training and a consignment sale coming up. Not to mention the fair projects and normal school work. I am glad that i am taking a couple of extra days around the November holidays to spend with just the family. We need a vacation, but life continues to conspire to keep us too busy. Lately i have been wanting to get back into practicing some martial arts. I am not talking about Bruce Lee or anything, but i would really enjoy Aikido and/or Kendo. Aikido is predominately a defensive martial art that specializes in the redirection of an opponents energy (attacks). Just as in any martial art there is an aspect of "spiritual" philosophy. As a Christian one MUST take the Bible first and foremost into consideration and weigh all teachings against the truth of the Bible. For me the Martial Arts are a physical and a concentration, not a spiritual one. The hardest thing for me though is to find a school close to home, and one that i could afford to go to. I'm interested in Kendo mostly because of the samurai-like images that are present when studying this martial art (DUH!). There is a part of me that really enjoys the intense discipline and concentration that it takes to study and practice martial arts. It has been almost twenty years since i last stepped into a training dojo on a constant basis. I miss it - a lot. If i had to choose just one though, it would be Aikido. But life conspires against me in this as well. Well - i had more to ramble on about, but i am just too distracted. I hope you all have a great weekend, and may God shower you all with an sense of His amazing Grace and a palpable sense of His presence in your lives.