Winning at Losing

Winning isn’t everything, losing is. One of the biggest faults that I point out in my 11-year old son is that he is a sore loser. Whether it be striking out in a baseball game or a simple argument with his sister, he has a hard time losing. He wants to win, and for the better part of his life, things have come easily for him. One thing I’m confident about is his self-confidence.

But I’ve learned in parenting: When you find a glaring character fault in your child, you are glaring at yourself in the mirror. The little kid that looks just like you is like you.

At my middle age of 41, I’m learning lessons on losing. By and large, by God’s grace, the first half of my life has been filled with many wins in life. I’ve been raised in a loving Christian family, been granted a B.S./Ph.D./M.Div., been blessed with a wonderful wife & kids, a ministry and co-workers that would be the envy of many, and many more reasons to be grateful for life. But a dangerous byproduct of disproportionate self-confidence is that it leaves little room for confidence in Christ.

And so I’ve been thinking: Perhaps in being caught up with winning, I’ve lost out on the lessons of losing. After all, everyone will lose; even the best of winners will lose one day, if not every day in ways unknown…

Dr. Henry Cloud writes about losing well in his book, Integrity,

“[...] most important, the difference between winners and losers is not that winners never lose. The difference is that winners lose well, and losers lose poorly.”

I think the biggest winners are those who learn the painful lessons of losing well early on. In losing, you lose your pride and gain a chance to receive the gift of humility. And the humbler you are, the easier it is to “never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Galatians 6:14).

In life, people rush to pat winners on the back with a big “Congratulations!”  But now, I would much rather say to the loser, “Congratulations on your defeat because you’ve won an opportunity for Christ to be the Victor in your life!” I’m thankful all the more that God’s forgiveness, salvation, and love are all free to everyone in Christ. And that makes a loser like me (and you) a big winner of God’s amazing grace.

1 Peter 5:5-6 “Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.”

Wk2: R & R (Read & Read)

This past week just flew by!  Here’s a sampling of our daily routine for your amusement:

• Go to the Rec Center to exercise for an hour.
• Eat & hit the books at the library for 5 hours straight.
• Eat & go back to the library for another 5!

You might be wondering, “What kind of torturous R & R is that? I thought a Sabbatical was supposed to be rest & relaxation?“  Well, in case you don’t know, we are professional nerds to the n-th degree.  In fact, we rank in the top 95.7th percentile of nerds and are diagnosed with HBS (”Heavy Butt Syndrome”).  When we study, we feel God’s pleasure! We’re thoroughly enjoying our R & R before our kids arrive in a couple of days.  And when they arrive, they’ll sit with us and join in the family fun as Kristen studies for the PSAT and Taylor his LSAT.

Honestly, we’ve been really enjoying our time reading and reading.  We’ve been plowing through the Bible and are half way through.  Since I’m an audio-reader, I listen to an mp3 of the Bible while reading/highlighting the text on my Bible.  It allows me to keep a good pace, especially through all the tricky pronunciations of names.  Before each book, I get a nice overview from How to Read the Bible Book by Book: A Guided Tour by Gordon Fee & Douglas Stuart.  And while I am on the treadmill, I listen to Old Testament Survey Class Lectures by Dr. Stuart (I took his class during seminary but it is available free through http://www.biblicaltraining.org).

We also finished some secular books that have interesting implications for ministry and leadership: Malcolm Gladwell’s Blink and The Tipping Point (we became fans after his Outliers).  Perhaps even more relevant is Dr. Henry Cloud’s Integrity: The Courage to Meet the Demands of Reality (which I read in one sitting on my Kindle).  But don’t let the title fool you; it is actually more than just ethical or moral integrity. Integrity is about the kind of character that:

1. Creates and maintains trust
2. Is able to see and face reality
3. Works in a way that brings results
4. Embraces negative realities and solves them
5. Causes growth and increase
6. Achieves transcendence and meaning in life

There are a lot of lessons that I need to apply to my life and ministry and I’m sure I’ll be posting more about it later.

We’re having other fun as well.  Once in a while we watch an episode of The Waltons (yes John-Boy, it’s that old 1970’s TV show!).  I grew up watching that when I was a kid, and so I bought the DVD of the first season a while back so that our kids would know why I like to wear old-fashioned clothing! We also ventured out to Chinatown and had a blast at Yaohan plaza (which is Ranch 99 raised to the 3rd power). Susanna found all kinds of exotic foods that she remembers from Cambodia. Thankfully, we passed on durian, fresh frog, and soft-shelled turtles.

Exotic Rambutan fruit from Thailand in a Chinese market in Canada!

Wk 1: Get Ready, Get Set

Last Monday, we finally left Davis around 8:30pm after saying “good bye” to the many Waypoint members who stopped by to wish us well.  They made a farewell tunnel through our living room, into our kitchen, through the family room, and out to the front lawn! We are very grateful to everyone for encouraging us through this Sabbatical with your prayers, encouragements, and gifts/goodies.  We are richly blessed…

By midnight, we made it to Yreka where we checked into a motel for a quick sleep and were on the road again at 7am to cover the balance of 900 miles to Vancouver. I drove most of the way, while listening to an audiobook of Chuck Colson’s book, The Faith, while Susanna quickly finished the book, Blink. At the border, a Canadian immigration officer asked me, “Will you be working or teaching in Canada?”  To which I replied without blinking, “Nope; I’m here on a sabbatical — I’m not supposed to do those things!”

We arrived at our dorm 24 hours after we left Davis and I unloaded the minivan all by myself.  But after the 8th box, I wished we had packed Timothy, Ming, and Jacob in our minivan (they helped me load back home).  But being the macho man that I am, I unloaded the entire minivan without crying or whining.  (I nearly pulled several muscles, but I figured I’d have the next 8 weeks to recover!)

It took some time to get things set here since we couldn’t bring up everything.  The night of our arrival, we went to Wal-Mart to get important necessities like ketchup.  It was strange not buying in bulk quantities since it will be just the two of us for the first couple of weeks.  (Our kids will join us at that time after their youth retreat.)  Since it’s just the two of us, I’m gladly volunteering to do the dishes every day.  (That will change when I get to pull seniority on our kids.)

We also went to a special seminar by Prof. Darrell Johnson at Regent College entitled, “The Glory of Preaching: Participating in God’s Transformation of the World.“  His thesis is this: (and I’m quoting him here)

“When a human being [imperfect, broken, multi-motivated, sinful-in-process-of-being-made-whole], open Bible in hand, stands up before a group of other human beings [imperfect, broken, with all kinds of needs, bombarded by many voices, under many demands, sinful-in-process-of-being-made-whole], and says [however imperfectly, inadequately, yet as faithfully as possible] what the Living God is saying in the text to which the Bible is opened, something happens [something transformative].”

I was so pumped up after his lecture that I wanted to drive back down to Davis to preach!  He also challenged us to find in every text of the Bible an opportunity to encounter Jesus.  As a result, I’ve been spending several hours each day reading the Bible, starting with Genesis, and it has been good, very good…

Finally, some of you will be happy to hear that Susanna and I are putting that gift membership to the Rec Center to good use.  As proof, here is a picture of the two of us on treadmills going really fast.  It’s so fast that it’s blurred because we’re warping time, bending light, or pulling your leg! 

Running so fast, it's blurry!

Sabbatical 4 Me

Our family will be on a Sabbatical at Regent College in Vancouver for the next two months.   Some churches give Sabbaticals for their pastors every 7 years, some churches every year, and some churches just let the pastor get the rest in Heaven (after all, we’ll be at rest for all of eternity, so what’s the hurry, right?).

I’m taking this Sabbatical after 11 years of ministering here at Waypoint Community Church.  To tell you the truth (and pastors need to do that), it has been a challenge leading a church.  I look back to my days as a professor and recall how easy it was just teaching chemistry and doing research 60-80 hours a week; that was a piece of cake with ice cream on top!  Being a pastor is a 60/60/24/7/365 job where every second matters…

Many a times when my cell phone rings, I pause and take a deep breath before I say, “Hello?”  It’s because every call might be from a person struggling in faith, battling some urgent crisis, or someone desperately in need of a Savior, the Prince of Peace.  Such is the calling of a pastor, ministering in a sin-impacted world.

Sabbath rest is what I need to experience, especially since I’m supposed to rest, rejuvenate, recover, read, restore, etc.  That means I should not worry about what will happen back at Davis.  Fortunately, while I am away, Pastor Timothy and the rest of the directors will take good care of ministry.  And Jay & Cathy’s family will be taking good care of our house.  And I can be at rest because Jesus will take good care of me…

Please pray for us while we are gone and we’ll see you in mid-August!  (BTW, I am planning on updating this blog on a weekly basis to let you know what’s happening up there.)

Award-Winning Dress

(I’m sorry for shamelessly being proud of my daughter in this post.  I’ve made fun of her here and there on my blog, so to be fair, I ought to say some good things from time to time.)

Last night, Kristen had her graduation celebration from junior high school. In the past years, they only had an awards ceremony without much fanfare.  But this year, the leadership class organized a more formal graduation celebration. Kristen was one of the student organizers for the event and stayed up until 2:30 AM Sunday night planning for it, including designing the invitation cards to the teachers, a thank you bouquet for the principal, a graphic design for the backdrop, and many other logistical details! (Remind you of someone?)

During the departmental awards segment, I was secretly hoping that she would win the science or math award.  I got my camera ready in video mode to capture that moment, but alas, she didn’t get it!  (I was hoping that she got my genes since I received the top math student award in my junior high.)  Instead, Kristen got the leadership gene from Susanna and received the school’s leadership award.  She was involved with leadership for two years and organized many of the school’s events with Excel spreadsheets galore!  (Yes, she got a few templates from Susanna, and in a few years, she’ll tackle being the food czar for G-Live!)

The other award she got was “The Husky Award” [their mascot is a husky],  selected by the staff for “demonstrated excellent character” where the criteria includes “being a positive influence on others, honesty, hard work, good attendance, good behavior, and service to others.”  It turns out that this is a big award and her name will be engraved on a permanent plaque in the school office!

But I was even prouder for this…  Background info:  Last week, I got mad at her for wanting to wear a dress for a dinner banquet which was way too short – it was above the knee by a couple of meters!  (I kid you not, that is how I felt!) I immediately made her change her attire and her attitude of complaining and whining.  Yesterday, to my surprise, I found out that she actually made a dress for this graduation celebration — one that I would approve of.  She had an old dress that didn’t fit her (but fit my knee criteria), and so she borrowed a sewing machine and sewed on a top for it!  It turned out great: It was modest, looked very fashionable, and didn’t cost any extra money.  I was so proud of her that I wanted to go out and buy her a new dress! Instead, we settled for Quickly’s tapioca drinks after the ceremony, supersized for everyone. 

Kristen, for such demonstrated excellent character, your name is permanently engraved in my heart as a wonderful daughter…

276 Bibles or 1063 NT’s!

Recently, we at Waypoint Community Church had a representative from The Gideons International share with us their ongoing work in distributing Bibles worldwide.  (We’ve hosted them every other year or so.)

The other day, I got a “thank you” letter from Mike (who came and shared with us the stories) and wanted to share some portions with you:

“On behalf of the local Yolo County Camp and the Gideons International, we want to express our sincere thanks to your entire church congregation for their partnership with us.  [...] The offering of $1382.00 is awesome evidence of the love your congregation has for the lost.  [...] This offering will enable the Gideons to purchase and place 276 Bibles, or 1063 New Testaments, in the hands of the lost throughout the world.”

I’m so grateful that we were able to help out in this way!

Let’s pray that these Bibles will get to the hands of those who are searching for the Truth, the Way, and the Life,…and that they might ultimately find Jesus Christ!

Question Question Authority

QUESTION AUTHORITY was the famous bumper sticker slogan I was confronted by when I arrived at UC Berkeley back in the 80’s.  Being a foolish freshman, I never questioned where that bumper sticker got the authority to make such a bold statement in the first place!

Without question, many people are still questioning authority.  But upon closer examination, it’s really selective authority questioning, where you are the ultimate author(ity)…

When I was teaching chemistry, I was never questioned, “Professor Lee, I disagree with your teaching of PV = nRT.  I think it should be PVn = RT.”  Such a person either doesn’t know much chemistry or has dyslxeia.  But interestingly, when I preach/teach the Bible, there are some who object, “Pastor Jonathan, I disagree with your teaching on what Christian living should be…“  I am often tempted to question back, “Well, upon what basis do you disagree? Upon what authority? Upon what authority as a Bible scholar or decades of personal godly maturity do you raise that question?”  (But it’s also interesting that people hardly ever question authority when it doesn’t make uncomfortable demands on one’s lifestyle.)

On authority, C. S. Lewis reasons with us in Mere Christianity (p.62):

Do not be scared by the word authority.  Believing things on authority only means believing them because you have been told them by someone you think trustworthy.  Ninety-nine per cent of the things you believe are believed on authority.  I believe there is such a place as New York.  I have not seen it myself.  I could not prove by abstract reasoning that there must be such a place.  I believe it because reliable people have told me so.  [...] Every historical statement in the world is believed on authority.  None of us has seen the Norman Conquest or the defeat of the Armada.  None of us could prove them by pure logic as you prove a thing in mathematics.  We believe them simply because people who did see them have left writings that tell us about them: in fact, on authority.  A man who jibbed at authority in other things as some people do in religion would have to be content to know nothing all his life.

Recently, those taking a discipleship class at Waypoint Community Church were reminded of the “4 Sources of Authority” (Survival Kit: 5 Keys to Effective Spiritual Growth by Ralph Neighbour, Jr.) where the greatest and ultimate authority ought to be the Scripture, the Word of God, the Bible.  The authority of Scripture is far more trustworthy than experiences, intellect, or tradition.  (And I might add “feelings” to this list of inadequate authorities.)

I’d like to hear from you on this:  Why are some people so inclined to question authority, especially Biblical authority? (i.e., the authority that the Bible has over life and faith)

Poll 4 Waypoint Church

We wanted to do a quick poll for Waypoint Community Church to get an estimate of which Summer Session will be more populated.  It will help us with scheduling all the fun and exciting events & activities.  Thx!

POLL RESULTS: (as of 6/2/09)
85% During BOTH Summer Sessions 1 & 2
7%  Won’t be in Davis at all this summer
5%  Shorter than a summer session duration
3%  During Summer Session 2 (8/3 – 9/11)

So it looks like many of you will be here all summer long!   We’ll be sure to have lots of cool fun!  

Gr8 Websites 4 U

Sharing is good. Our folks at Gracepoint Fellowship Church have been putting together some good resources. (And they’re free so they’re very good!) I’ve compiled them here along with some other good free resources on the web: (I’ve added these on my sidebar to the right.)

Free Christian Audio Books: http://christianaudio.com/free_download.php

• For those who like to read without holding a book!
• A new free book every month! (Be sure to put in the coupon code per their website.)

DT Sharing: http://www.gracepointdevotions.com

• Daily Devotional sharing by various Gracepoint & Waypoint staff posted Monday – Friday.
• They also got me & Susanna to post weekly on it!

Q/A Re: Christianity: http://gracepointforum.blogspot.com

• “A forum where tough questions about the Christian faith can be discussed.”
• Tough questions on Sabbath day, what is the soul, etc.
  

Food: http://www.dishgracepoint.com

• “Recipes for large groups at affordable prices – a key component to fellowship.”
• Try out these recipes…and invite us over when you do!

Humor: http://www.disgracepointonline.org

• “Because laughter is the best medicine, right after Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture and Western medicine.”
• Good, wholesome, and fun – Entertainment the way it should be!

Video Collection: http://www.gracepointvideo.org

• “A collection of videos produced by members of Gracepoint Fellowship Church, from our various ministries, as well as other videos found on the web.”
• A convenient one-stop “best of the best” (so you don’t waste a lot of time on YouTube!).
  

Misc.: http://waypointcc.org/devotionals_links.php

• A compilation of other good internet resources linked on our church website.
  

An Ode to Sam

Last night, after Koinonia Bible study, the guys went to play basketball.  The “oldies team” beat the undergrads in a very close game!  As we headed home, I was inspired to write a poem after seeing Sam in the dimly lit parking lot leaning against his minivan as captured in this picture and poem…

An Old too Sam

I know a man called Sam,

he is a man who can!

He was a Superman,

but push a minivan??

He thrilled this B-Ball fan,

but leg cramped up — oh man!

I know a man called Sam,

he’s now an old, old man.

Sam, be sure to stretch before you fly in the sky again.  Welcome to the oldies team! 

Listen to the Good Coach

It was a big showdown in cowtown.  Last night was the last game of the Davis Little League regular season between the first place Red Sox (Taylor’s team) against the second place Orioles (Matthew’s team). It was especially exciting because this was the first time the two boys played against each other.

It was also our turn to volunteer at the snack shack, so Susanna, Kristen, and I were serving hotdogs, pizza, popcorn, and snowcones for a couple of hours before the game. (Since we didn’t have talent/time to be a coach, we figured snack shack coordinator is the one thing we could field.) Our kids are very lucky — a few junior and senior brothers came out to watch them!

The game proved to be exciting. One of Taylor’s teammates hit a grand slam to take an early lead and the coach’s son hit two home runs!  Susanna is not much of a baseball fan, but she was yakking away in the bleachers:  “Oh, that boy is a slugger; he’s the coach’s son and he’s the #1 hitter.  And she’s the coach’s daughter…  How many scores do we have?  Oh, Matthew is up to bat; yea Choi-boy!  Get a hit!”  Kristen blushed as she whispered, “Mommy, you have to be quiet! He’s on the other team.”  Our daughter needs thicker skin.  (I believe there are skin lotions made in Korea for that!)  It’s okay — it’s Monday night and we’re out there to have some fun family time…

The biggest excitement came in the middle of the game when it seemed like the Orioles were making a comeback.  All of the sudden, Taylor’s coach yelled out from the dugout, “Throw to first, throw to first!” At first, almost everyone didn’t know what was going on because the runners had already advanced.  But as it turned out, the coach realized the “Infield Fly Rule” was in effect and so the Orioles’ runners should not have run. I don’t think many of the players knew what was going on at that time. And the fans didn’t have a clue either. But the good coach knew. And the good thing is, as trained, the players listened to the coach. With that, they got their 2nd and 3rd out of the inning on that one play. That quick thinking on the coach’s part and the players listening promptly might have been the difference between a win or a loss.

(Just a quick spiritual lesson here:  There are many times when I don’t know why God might be telling me to do this or that.  It might even seem strange or odd.  But I need to listen to the Good Coach.  He might be seeing something that I’m completely unaware of…)

Taylor had a great season and it was clearly because he had an excellent coach.  He pushes the players hard, keeps them alert, and expects them to be disciplined all the time.

BTW, Taylor finished the regular season with a total of 14 hits (which blew away my prediction majorly!).  He’s especially excited because his numbers topped the coach’s son’s when he was 10-years old.  (He’s always looking for comps so that he can guage his chances of making it to MLB.)  Son, talent is overrated; let me tell you about  deliberate practice…(to be continued in the next post)

Image of the World?

As a graduate of the Centurions Program (1 year study & training with Chuck Colson & Breakpoint), I receive newsletters and resources from them from time to time.  I’m excerpting here something that  T. M. Moore wrote today which encourages the “unfashionable” counter-culture challenge I shared recently.

From Centurions TD Newsletter by T. M. Moore (Vol. 3, No. 7, May 15, 2009) with permission from Breakpoint/PFM:

[...] For we are constantly under assault by influences in the culture to which we have become so accustomed, that we may well lose sight of them at times. Peter wrote, “Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul” (1 Pt. 2:11). The “passions” or “lusts” of the flesh are the stock-in-trade of the popular culture. It thrives by appealing, not just to our baser interests, but to those which may, on the surface seem quite harmless.

What do I mean? Well, consider the kinds of passions – affections, feelings, longings, desires – that we typically encounter on television, in pop music and film, and even in the lifestyles of our materialistic friends and co-workers. Pride, self-serving, sexual lust, covetousness, jealousy, resentment, anger, hatred, vengeance: in a wide variety of ways we are confronted by these passions throughout the day, often in ways that make them seem “normal.” Advertising, for example, as well as conversations at work, emails and websites, and more – all supply us with a steady breeze promoting self-interest and self-indulgence.

These fleshly passions don’t assault us violently; more often, they are subtle and constant, with occasional gusts which push a little harder against our soul’s striving to become like Jesus. If we are not aware of these influences, we may find that our souls have been shaped more after the image of the world than that of Jesus Christ.

So true!  I want to ask you to comment:  What are the subtle and constant influences that shape our souls more after the image of the world than of Jesus Christ?

[btw, we've had quite a number of members of Waypoint and Gracepoint Fellowship Church go through the Centurions Program over the years...]

William Lane Craig & Exercise

Once in a while, I peruse the Q/A section from Dr. William Lane Craig’s website.  (FYI, Waypoint & Gracepoint support his ministry financially from our church budgets, and of course with our prayers.) I posted his testimony before and recently found this post that I wanted to pass on to you.  This was his response to questions he got regarding maintaining physical stamina and about his neuro-muscular disorder (which I didn’t know about): [excerpted from http://www.reasonablefaith.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=7069]

Occasionally I like to take a personal question like these to share something of my own life’s experiences by way of encouragement. In fact, Jan and I are only too happy to give personal advice to anyone who asks!

Paul says, “Bodily exercise profiteth little” (I Tim. 4.8). Now notice that Paul didn’t say that bodily exercise is of no value, just that compared to godliness, which holds promise not only for the earthly life but also for the life to come, it is of little value. Moreover, we live in a sedentary society vastly different from the society in which Paul lived and wrote. Much of people’s daily lives at that time consisted of what we would call exercise. Just think how Jesus walked all over Palestine! People in that day and age weren’t the couch potatoes we tend to be today.

Look around: it’s so difficult to stay in shape. I’m told that once you hit 35, you begin to lose a pound of muscle per year and to gain a pound and a half of fat. That sure seems to be true. Moreover, people my age are unbelievably medicated in an effort to solve their physical problems. I’m sure most of these folks would rather not be taking blood thinners, anti-cholesterol medicine, weight loss pills, etc.

In 2003 the Mayo Clinic Health Letter carried the following troubling report on “Exercise and Your Health”:

[...]

The Surgeon General’s 1996 report recommended accumulating at least 30 minutes of moderately intense activity on most or all days of the week. During activities of moderate intensity, your breathing should allow you to carry on a conversation, but with some effort. Behind the recommendation was considerable data demonstrating the many benefits of staying physically active. These include helping:

• • Reduce the risk of premature death, particularly from cardiovascular disease
  • Reduce the risk of developing diabetes and colon cancer
  • Reduce the risk of developing high blood pressure or reduce already elevated blood pressure
  • Promote psychological well-being and reduce depression and anxiety
  • Control weight
  • Build and maintain healthy muscles, bones, and joints
  • Improve the strength of older adults and their ability to move without falling

Then came yet another alarm from the Surgeon General in 2001-excess weight and obesity in the United States had reached epidemic proportion. Among adults, 61 percent were overweight or obese.

Then, in late 2002, the National Academy of Sciences released its recommendations. Considering the size of many Americans and their exercise-or lack of exercise-habits, the Academy reported that 30 minutes of moderately intense daily activity generally isn’t enough to maintain a healthy weight or prevent weight gain. The Academy, basing its findings on an internal database, recommended upping moderate activity time to an hour a day to help prevent weight gain and enhance health benefits.

Can you imagine? An hour a day!

Now this is really challenging for those of us who don’t have an athletic bone in our bodies. My attitude toward exercise was nicely summed up by the crack: “Whenever I feel like exercising, I just lie down until it goes away!”

But the incentive to exercise was given to me by the neuro-muscular disorder mentioned above by Matt. I, like my mom and brother, have Charcot-Marie-Tooth Syndrome, a hereditary disorder that involves the slow disintegration of the myelin sheaths around the nerves in the forearms and legs, resulting in progressive muscular atrophy. Some people afflicted with this condition are terribly disabled, but my case is quite light, affecting mainly my hands and in recent years my calves. It principally means that I can’t go bowling or type-big deal, Jan says! But I could see what was coming (though, I must say, my mom is currently 87 years old and still going strong), and this has spurred me to try to stay in shape and tone my muscles to stave off as much as I reasonably can the effects of the inevitable atrophy.

So I’ve disciplined myself to exercise six days a week. The key to doing this successfully is to realize that you are making a lifestyle choice, not just embarking on a temporary regime. This is for life. You want to make your exercise time habitual so that it just becomes a part of your daily routine and you don’t have to psych yourself up to do it each time. So every day except Sunday, after my devotional time of prayer and Bible reading, I exercise for around an hour each morning.

Oddly enough, one of the greatest-perhaps the greatest-benefit of such strenuous exercise is, as the Mayo Clinic letter mentioned, psychological. You just feel good in your own skin. It gives you such a sense of confidence and well-being to feel your body toned. It gives you the feeling you’re ready to take on the world.

A really great program that I’d recommend is Bill Phillips’ Body for Life. It combines very sensible weight training with aerobic activities. It’s realistically doable, is balanced, can be done at home, and gives real results. (I don’t look like one of the “after” photos in his books, but I was really tickled when a recent blogger described my physique as “athletic”! Ha! -me, with CMT Syndrome!) I lift weights three days a week and jog or stair-step three days a week. I’d encourage you to buy a few free weights so that you can exercise at home and don’t have to get yourself up to go out to a gym.

Now coupled with regular exercise is a nutritional diet. I have the great fortune of being married to someone who is very interested in healthy cooking. [...]

In recent years I’ve found it useful to take an occasional siesta after lunch. I feel a little embarrassed about doing this, but when we lived in France, we found that a two hour lunch break was the norm there because folks slept after lunch. It really refreshes you! I follow this pattern especially when I’m traveling and speaking because I need to be really sharp for the evening lecture or debate. At home it’s optional, depending on whether I find myself slowly dozing off as I try to read some dry treatise on abstract objects or theories of reference!

Having CMT Syndrome has affected me in ways other than physical. Having this disorder as a child was hard because other kids made fun of me for the way I walked. I was always one of the last few chosen for an athletic team in P.E. class when we’d pair off. (Why teachers subject kids to this humiliating ritual is beyond me!) Because I couldn’t succeed in anything physical, I threw myself into intellectual and academic pursuits, where I found I could succeed. Having this disease made me very goal oriented, determined to show those who had mocked me that I could succeed. Since becoming a Christian, I’ve come to see that this sort of drivenness is the wrong motivation, but the goal orientation and the desire to succeed remains part of who I am. My CMT is now like an old friend, my “thorn in the flesh,” which God has used to shape and prepare me for His service and for which I give Him thanks.

Let’s continue to pray for Dr. Craig and all that he’s doing for Christ and His Kingdom!

Feel Free 2 Comment

Hello!  Anyone out there?  I know that many members of Waypoint and Gracepoint Fellowship Church regularly visit this blog, so it would be great to hear from you from time to time.

So please do leave comments.  It doesn’t have to be profound or punny.  It can be a simple, “Thanks for the post, Pastor Jonathan!”

The feedback will help me provide better content for you.  Thank you, Waypointers and Gracepointers!

(Btw, I moderate the comments so it might take a while to post.)

w/ Gracepoint & Waypoint Church Directors

“I’m the luckiest man in the world,” uttered Matthew, as we celebrated his 40th birthday at our Gracepoint & Waypoint church directors retreat. Tony and Michelle cooked up a storm (Cioppino & pasta) and we enjoyed a wonderful combined 40th birthday dinner for William, Patrick, and Hope. We ate, talked, laughed, and reminisced with fondness God’s bountiful blessings upon our lives.

But Matthew was wrong! He’s NOT the luckiest man in the world. I am. The fact is, I have been the recipient of God’s grace and love longer than he has. (Because I’ll be turning 42 this year.) Actually, I often had that thought in mind — that I am so lucky. Actually, I’m wrong — I’m not lucky, I’m so blessed.

These are some of the brothers and sisters with whom I’ve walked this journey of faith together with for 20+ years. The fellowship that we share reminds me of the fellowship of Frodo, Samwise, et al. (I’ll leave it to you to have fun and figure out who is whom!) Here we are, laboring and struggling with all His energy (Col. 1:29), against all hope, in hope believing that our battle against sin and labor in the Lord is not in vain (Rom. 4:18; 1 Cor. 15:58), carrying one another’s burdens (and sometimes carrying one another) as we strive to proclaim Christ in and through our lives (Gal. 6:2; Col. 1:28).

I’m so blessed to be here. I would have never guessed in my wildest of dreams that such a sinner like me would be able to serve a Holy God who’s been so merciful and gracious. You don’t know just how blessed I am, but I know and God knows…

Before I start to choke up and tear up on this blog post, I’ll end with Eph. 3:20-21 “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”

P.S. We squeezed in a game of basketball in the midst of all the meetings and discussions.  Here is a highlight featuring Mr. Dis-Gracepoint himself, Daniel.  You might get dizzy because of the fast action (if you can call it that). 

done

[Updated 5.22.09] By popular demand, here is another video clip.  Yes, this was in the rain but as you’ll see, Pastor Ed was reigning as scoring champ in this one.  Also, pay close attention to Patrick’s defensive strategy in the first play; it’ll grab your attention! 

done

Unashamedly Unfashionable

I’m fashion-challenged.  I’m really bad at matching clothes.  I don’t have taste buds for fine cuisine or any taste for fine clothes.  As long as my stomach is full and my clothes are comfortably loose, I am a happy camper.  Susanna and Kristen get quite embarrassed when, to their  shock and horror, I wear my brown shirt with brown pants.   They would tell me that I look like a UPS delivery person or a forest ranger and then insist that I change into something that matches.  (Sorry; I always thought “matching colors” meant wearing the same color…) It’s no secret that I’m unashamedly unfashionable because, after all, I’m applying what Jesus taught in Matthew 6:25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?“ 

Today, I just finished reading a brand new book titled, Unfashionable: Making a Difference in the World by Being Different by Tullian Tchividjian.  Actually, my fashion-conscious daughter asked me about this book yesterday since it was recommended by the Harris brothers (of Do Hard Things).  I didn’t know much about this author, but it turns out that he’s a 36-year old grandson of Billy Graham and is currently a pastor in Florida.

One benefit of having a Kindle is that I could download it and start reading immediately; I finished it tonight and wanted to post some excerpts to think about here.

Pastor Tchividjian states his goal at the outset:

“The point I want to drive home in this book is that Christians make a difference in this world by being different from this world; they don’t make a difference by being the same. This is critically important, because in our trend-chasing world it’s tempting for Christians to slowly lose their distinctiveness by accommodating to culture.”

He’s right — there are some Christians who somehow feel ashamed of “being different” and unfashionable.  And so they try their best to “fit in” by matching what they say, what they hear, what they watch, and what they do.  But the question is, in so doing, who is leading whom?

Near the end, he concludes:

“Christians who try to convince the world around them that they’re really no different at all, hoping they’ll be accepted on the world’s terms and on the world’s turf, should be embarrassed. It’s time for Christians to embrace the fact that we’re peculiar people. Because true followers of Jesus have been given a new heart and mind, we’re to operate according to a different standard, with different goals and motivations. Everything about us – our perspective on possessions, lifestyle, and relationships – will be foundationally different from the world around us: ‘We worship what we cannot see, love what we cannot hold, and live for what we cannot own.’ To the world around us, this will seem out of place, uncool, and odd; it’s high time followers of Jesus learn to embrace that fact.”

Amen to that.  There are other good excerpts from this book and I am thinking of perhaps doing a message series at Waypoint on this important topic of being a counter-cultural church.  But don’t worry, I won’t wear that brown-on-brown combo.  In fact, I’ll wear something that’s radically contrasting! 

Koinonia @ Davis Special Talk

This Friday, Koinonia @ Davis will be hosting a special talk entitled, Born Identity.  For this one, our sophomore class will be hosting it with music, skit, and games (in addition to the message by Pastor Timothy).  The flier is one of the coolest they’ve designed yet! Come on by and check it out:

Exercise Body & Mind

Goal: Exercise body & mind for the next 3 years.  Since I recently started getting back on track with my running, Kristen recently threw out a big challenge:  Run across the country before she graduates from high school!  Not all at once, but cumulatively, racking up the 2700 miles over the next 3 years.  She’s going to attempt it herself, and wants me to join in this feat! (Yes, pun intended.)

In addition, she wanted to be further trained to be a clear and critical thinker.  For training, she has been asking for dinner debates and dinner discussions over deep philosophical issues.  The other night, our family had a nice debate on the phrase “in God we trust” as found in many founding documents and currency in the United States. Should it be kept or abandoned?  What are the pertinent issues?  Kristen took one side and Taylor had to argue against her.  Daddy was the consultant and Mommy was the judge (and the chef).  Loser cleans up the dishes so the stakes are high.  (Ohh, another pun!  I’m on a dinner roll!    )

For last night’s mental exercise, as Kristen was doing the dishes, I threw out the question, “What is the meaning for a person’s existence? Many tend to say, ‘To be happy.’ But is it a legitimate end goal?“  (Boy, that’s a loaded question while dish washing!)  I had just finished reading a book that dealt with that question in part (Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning).  It is not a Christian book, but it gives a glimpse of the best and worst of what human beings are capable of…as revealed through the Holocaust. One quote from it was on my mind:

“But happiness cannot be pursued; it must ensue. One must have a reason to ‘be happy.’ Once the reason is found, however, one becomes happy automatically.”

Indeed, happiness is merely a by-product, it can never be the goal.  I thought about how it’s akin to bearing fruit in one’s spiritual life:  Spiritual fruit is the by-product of a personal relationship with God, it can never be the goal itself.  As Jesus said in John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” It’s all about my personal relationship with Jesus…

Stay tuned.  Our next dinner discussion topic is:  How existential vacuum manifests itself in a state of boredom.

Back on Track

I finally got back on my exercise regimen of running again. After giving five messages at our Waypoint Winter Retreat on “Running the Race,” I finally repented and got back on the treadmill three weeks ago. Since every step is important, I am using 3-significant figures for my daily tally; well, unless if I gain some distance by rounding up.

My goal is to get in shape to run the Davis Turkey Trot 10K this Thanksgiving (hopefully faster than a wild turkey!), followed by the Davis Stampede 1/2 Marathon in early 2010, and ultimately the Sacramento Marathon in December of 2010. I figured that might be the last time in my lifetime when I would be young enough and strong enough (& crazy enough) to run a marathon. But I have to take it step by step, mile by mile, one day at a time. (Oh, and I’ve been taking my vitamins as well; every extra riboflavin molecule helps!)

Guess what — I lost 5 pounds since I started!  But alas, at this Sunday’s picnic, I gained a couple back with the Evergood hotlinks that I had.  But it was good.  No, it was very good!    It’s going to cost me an extra 3 miles on the treadmill to burn it off, but it’s well worth it.

As I get older, I have to read Nutrition Facts labels and pay close attention to the serving size.  But one day, with our resurrected bodies, we won’t have to do all that.  Jesus tells us that Heaven will be like a banquet (and hopefully, a buffet!).  We’ll have all of eternity to eat as much as we want.  And since we’ll have enough time to exercise to burn off all that fat, it’ll be all good… evergood!

Easter @ Waypoint Community Church

Wondering what’s the big deal about Easter? Join us at Waypoint Community Church this Sunday (April 12, 2009), as we celebrate the real reason! And after the worship service, we’ll have an evergood BBQ picnic and games for all ages. Thank God our resurrected bodies will not have to worry about cholesterol, trans-saturated-alpha-omega-fats, and vitamins.

Join us at Waypoint Community Church - Davis this Easter!