Martial Arts

Looking into the various martial arts forms, it would appear that the ones most suited for me would be Aikido or Hapkido.   They start from the same roots, but have a different philosophy.  Aikido is from Japan and seems to utilize the flows from an attacker; whereas Hapkido is from Korea and seems to be more geared towards counter-attack techniques.   Both can utilize weapons and are useful for self-defense.

Some of the other popular forms are Kung-Fu (China), Karate & Judo (Japan), Jiu-Jitsu (Brazil, Japan), or Taekwondo (Korea).  These seem less suited for me.

Luke 19

In this chapter, we see the life of Zacchaeus change as he progressed from curiousity to joy to repentance, and finally to salvation through his interactions with Jesus.

Then, Jesus told a parable to clarify about the Kingdom of God.  A nobleman leaves for a distant country to be appointed king, just as Jesus will die on the cross to usher in His Kingdom.   He gives his ten servants a mina each to do His business; and when He returns asks for an accounting.  The main lesson of the parable is summarized in vs 26: "I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what they have will be taken away." Once again, Jesus taught that the servants of Christ are to be faithful stewards of all that have been entrusted into their care.  Moreover, those who rejected and rebelled against the King would receive judgement and death.

So, Jesus goes up to Jerusalem, thus marking the end of His public ministry and teaching outside of Jerusalem, and the beginning of the events leading to His death on the CROSS.  He demonstrated that He knew all that would happen, as seen with the colt; and He fulfills the Zachariah 9:9 prophecy entering Jerusalem on the colt as Messiah and King.  He receives the praise He deserves.  But, He weeps over the city for their eventual rejection of Him.  He then cleanses the temple, and teaches there daily.   There is mixed response from the audience - people hung on His words, while the religious leaders wanted to kill Him.

This familiar Palm Sunday passage showed me how much Jesus loves me, willing to go to the CROSS knowing exactly the pain, rejection, and suffering He would experience.  His weeping over the city shows His compassion for the lost; and His cleansing of the temple reflects His justice and holiness.

This passage also led me to ponder when it is that Jesus is crowned King.  Because, the Messiah King is to be from the line of David, He was born to be King; but, His dying on the cross is what provided a way for citizens of the Kingdom.  And when He ascends to heaven, He sits on the throne.  At His return during the 2nd Coming, He comes as King and will be recognized as King by all the world.   His coming in the "name of the Lord", shows that authority was granted to Him to be King.

In doing a word study on that phrase:  "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!", what it is really saying is Praise to the King who comes in the authority and character of God in heaven; and the peace and glory mentioned is a fulfillment of the prophecy referenced in 2:14.  That Christ came to earth to bring us peace with God, by dying on the cross to save us from our sins and the judgment of divine wrath.

Spinach Quiche

Tried making spinach quiche again, but this time using milk instead of cream.   The consistency ended up being more like scrambled eggs; so, cream is much better.   Also, I just cooked the spinach with the onions before adding to the milk and eggs mixture; and it seems that it is better to have chopped the spinach as well.   I also probably didn't add enough cheese this time; or maybe it was because of the type of cheese I used.   The other time definitely turned out better.

Some other ideas I had:

• I could try using tofu instead of milk; and put it all in a blender.   The consistency would probably be closer to what I would expect
• I could try using the ingredients I do for my normal Mexican scrambled eggs and see if adding in salsa would make for an interesting Mexican quiche
• Definitely for baking, it is best to put it on foil and then use it to cover the edges towards the latter part of cooking, so that the crust doesn't burn

Luke 18

Using the Parable of the Persistent Widow, Jesus taught that we should always pray and not lose heart.  If an unjust judge would grant the widow's request for justice merely because of her persistence; then, much more so would our Righteous God grant justice in answer to the prayers of His people. Then, using the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, Jesus taught that "all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted." (vs 14b).  And, He encouraged the people to "receive the Kingdom of God like a child", with humility, trust, and sincerity.  This passage is a reminder to continually pray, to not give up, and to approach God in humility and trust.

In His conversation with the rich ruler, Jesus pointed out that "No one is good—except God alone".  So when Jesus said "what is impossible with man is possible with God", He was emphasizing that while salvation is impossible by man's own efforts, it is possible through God.   Sorrowfully, the rich ruler chose earthly wealth over kingdom treasures.

When Peter said, "We have left all we had to follow you!" in contrast to the rich ruler, Jesus reassured His disciples that they will be rewarded for their sacrifice.  But, Jesus also showed them that He was the ultimate example of sacrifice, for He was to die on the Cross to fulfill all prophecies as the Messiah.  Though the disciples did not understand what Jesus was saying that that time, they would later; and because they had heard it, it was also preparation for when they faced the actual events surrounding the crucifixion.

Also in contrast to the rich ruler, the blind man who Jesus healed, recognized Him as the Son of David or the Messiah, and chose to follow Jesus, praising God.  His faith saved him.