The sport of fencing began to take form when firearms entered the battlefield. Back then, sword fighting was simply a war tool. Whoever made the other bleed first won. But with firearms, the sword ceased to be used primarily for war, but as a symbol for officers. It was only used in close range combat when reloading the firearms would take too much time. Over time, the sword gradually became smaller from the two-handed broadsword to the single-handed rapier. At that point, the Italians and the French sword masters began to transform use of the sword from a war tool into an art form. This is when the standard lunge, parries, and others fencing actions took form. The weapons were blunted so students could be trained without shedding blood and it took the form of a sport. In 1896, fencing was one of the first 9 sports of the First Modern Olympiad. It has become a fast growing sport and in June of 1998, I discovered fencing as a sport.
My first competition took place in January 2000, and in the time since, I have gone up and down the ladder on placements. But since the Spring Semester 2010, I began to have a stronger emphasis on coaching and as a result, my skills have dramatically increased. Today, I had my first competition of the 2010-2011 season. I fencing in Foil then Epee for 8 hours. In foil, I was a very respectable 6th out of 12. But in Epee, in spite of exhaustion from the first event, I got hot. I seeded 6th going into the direction elimination round with a match against the #3 seed in the quarter-final round. I took an early lead I never lost and won 15-10. I lost in the semi-finals 15-9, but fought a fierce match for 3rd place. After falling behind 5-1, I rallied with 6 straight touches then traded hits all the way until I had a 14-12 lead. But my opponent slowly figured me out and rallied to beat me 15-14. I took 4th out of 12, a personal best in a local meet in 2 1/2 years.
It will be four weeks until my next tournament, when I have two in two weeks. One will be another local meet. Then the next week I will be going to Albuquerque New Mexico for a large regional tournament. The last time I traveled that direction, I took 3rd place in a small meet. But there is more down the road. My UTEP Fencing Team is strongly considering going to a Collegiate Recreational Sport Club Team Tournament in Chicago in April. This is a national tournament UTEP has been invited to. In January 2009, Albuquerque hosted a regional collegiate club tournament and my team took Gold as I won the deciding bout. One of my teammates from that meet will be coming with me, so we just need to find a viable third teammate and we will be ready to make a big run for this meet.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Life as a Graduating Senior
It is just two weeks into my graduating senior year and God is moving. I have four classes that are keeping me busy: Operating System, Human Computer Interaction, Database Management, and Software Engineering. Based on the first two weeks, OS and DM appear to be my hardest classes. HCI is going to be a fun one, but work hasn't kicked in yet. Software is a two-semester class that is the equivalent of a senior project course. That class is a lot of fun so far but the work load is going to be very time intensive. But it doesn't appear to be hard-work, just lots of work. I am doing a lot to get ahead of things this weekend.
Intervarsity has launched with a great opening. We had 10 people show up for the first week and 12 show up today. And some didn't come that wanted to. So I expect this to be a great year.
And now I have my novel off my mind for the time being, allowing me to focus more solidly on my homework. I submitted my novel, Battle Cry: Adventures in the Kingdom of Heaven to Lighthouse Christian Publishing this evening. I won't expect a reply for 1-2 weeks (maybe tomorrow (Friday) just to acknowledge reception). It is all in God's hands now and we will soon see if I will be published soon.
God is so good and I love how when he blesses, he does not hold back. This is truly going to be my best year at UTEP.
Intervarsity has launched with a great opening. We had 10 people show up for the first week and 12 show up today. And some didn't come that wanted to. So I expect this to be a great year.
And now I have my novel off my mind for the time being, allowing me to focus more solidly on my homework. I submitted my novel, Battle Cry: Adventures in the Kingdom of Heaven to Lighthouse Christian Publishing this evening. I won't expect a reply for 1-2 weeks (maybe tomorrow (Friday) just to acknowledge reception). It is all in God's hands now and we will soon see if I will be published soon.
God is so good and I love how when he blesses, he does not hold back. This is truly going to be my best year at UTEP.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Trusting in the Lord
As our Intervarsity plans have come together, I was hit with a harsh blow. A class that is absolutely critical to graduation this year got bumped up right when we are having our Intervarsity Bible studies. I have been the one spearheading the topic as the student president. We set up the Bible study times to target two groups of people from a three hour time frame. I am still able to lead one group, but the other so far appears to be the bigger group based on initial feedback from our information tables. I spoke with my instructor about the situation and he said there was little he could do and emphasized that I be in class as much as possible. After Day 1, I know why.
But God was not surprised by this and let it happen for a reason. I have reason to suspect that one possible reason is to get others in the chapter to step up in leadership. The chapter for the last few years has been held together by two students, including myself. The other graduates in December and with her student teaching, can't be involved much at all. I graduate in May so I will be needing to pass the torch on as well. One student has stepped up and is willing to lead the time the I can't make it and I am praying that God will raise one or two others to help her. I am still going to try to do all the behind-the-scenes work so all she needs to focus on is facilitating and 'running the machine'. But I see this as a potentially great opportunity for others to be ready to take over the chapter when I leave.
So I am trusting in the Lord for this time and situation. It was stressful but God has given me peace about it. I know he knows what he is doing and I am seeking to see this through his eyes. As the topic of the Bible study this semester, it is HIS STORY and he has the right to write it as he wishes.
But God was not surprised by this and let it happen for a reason. I have reason to suspect that one possible reason is to get others in the chapter to step up in leadership. The chapter for the last few years has been held together by two students, including myself. The other graduates in December and with her student teaching, can't be involved much at all. I graduate in May so I will be needing to pass the torch on as well. One student has stepped up and is willing to lead the time the I can't make it and I am praying that God will raise one or two others to help her. I am still going to try to do all the behind-the-scenes work so all she needs to focus on is facilitating and 'running the machine'. But I see this as a potentially great opportunity for others to be ready to take over the chapter when I leave.
So I am trusting in the Lord for this time and situation. It was stressful but God has given me peace about it. I know he knows what he is doing and I am seeking to see this through his eyes. As the topic of the Bible study this semester, it is HIS STORY and he has the right to write it as he wishes.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Ministry on a College Campus
Tomorrow, I start my graduating senior year at the University of Texas at El Paso seeking my BA in Computer Science. It will be my sixth year at UTEP, mostly due to changing a major from Civil Engineering to Computer Science halfway through. But the change was worth it. The two degrees plans combined have set me up for where God wants to me to: teaching. After graduation, I will be taking a Alternative Teaching Certification Program that will get my certified to teach physics and math for the secondary level. Science and math teachers are in high demand in El Paso and I will be eligible to go for the goverment program to get about half my students loans forgiven.
But there is also more to the college life than just classes. In the previous five years, I have been involved with Intervarsity Christian Fellowship and this year, God has called me to step up my involvment to a much deeper level than before. For two years, I was just an attender of the meetings, before being asked to join the leadership team. 20 years of growing up on the mission field is always a bonus when serving on any mission-minded organization. But now I am taking on the full leadership position as president of the UTEP IV Chapter.
We feel God has some big plans for our Chapter as the last few years have seen a very low turn-out and I believe that is about to be on a turn-around. It began last spring when I spearheaded a very effective outreach event when we brought Steve Lillis, a professional pool player that uses trick shots to bring the Gospel. My draw to him was that he does the exact same thing with pool as I am preparing to do with fencing. While that event did not bring a lot of people to our meetings right away afterwards, it did wake us up as a chapter and we believe we are prepared to take this year by storm.
God has called me to lead a new Bible study approach through John Eldridge's Epic presentation. The idea is that all the history of mankind, creation, ancient history, the coming of Christ, the Ressurection, Pentacost, and all the way to the End Times, is really one big, giant, epic story that God is telling. We have a hero, in God. We have a 'damsel in distress' in man. We have a villian in Satan. We have a battle against the forces of darkness. And we have the coming of the Knight in Shining Armor when Jesus returns. In fact, a John Eldridge puts it, practically every story that we love and follow over and over again in books and movies have elements that come from this grand story. And when we really want to get to know someone, we listen to thier story: where they came from, what they've been through, how they made decisions, and how they got to where they are now. So this semester, we are going to study God's story and learn about him through what he has done and how he has made his decisions. It's going to be a good semester.
But there is also more to the college life than just classes. In the previous five years, I have been involved with Intervarsity Christian Fellowship and this year, God has called me to step up my involvment to a much deeper level than before. For two years, I was just an attender of the meetings, before being asked to join the leadership team. 20 years of growing up on the mission field is always a bonus when serving on any mission-minded organization. But now I am taking on the full leadership position as president of the UTEP IV Chapter.
We feel God has some big plans for our Chapter as the last few years have seen a very low turn-out and I believe that is about to be on a turn-around. It began last spring when I spearheaded a very effective outreach event when we brought Steve Lillis, a professional pool player that uses trick shots to bring the Gospel. My draw to him was that he does the exact same thing with pool as I am preparing to do with fencing. While that event did not bring a lot of people to our meetings right away afterwards, it did wake us up as a chapter and we believe we are prepared to take this year by storm.
God has called me to lead a new Bible study approach through John Eldridge's Epic presentation. The idea is that all the history of mankind, creation, ancient history, the coming of Christ, the Ressurection, Pentacost, and all the way to the End Times, is really one big, giant, epic story that God is telling. We have a hero, in God. We have a 'damsel in distress' in man. We have a villian in Satan. We have a battle against the forces of darkness. And we have the coming of the Knight in Shining Armor when Jesus returns. In fact, a John Eldridge puts it, practically every story that we love and follow over and over again in books and movies have elements that come from this grand story. And when we really want to get to know someone, we listen to thier story: where they came from, what they've been through, how they made decisions, and how they got to where they are now. So this semester, we are going to study God's story and learn about him through what he has done and how he has made his decisions. It's going to be a good semester.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Fencing and Writing
God has a wonderful tendency to give people gifts that often have little to do with each other. Many people are highly talented in sports, but cannot do academic work for the life of them. Other people are the other way, mentally strong but no physical abilities. Some are great at math but horrible at English. Others are great at history but terrible with languages. But some people have mixed gifts. God has given me a gift with sports (predominately through fencing), science and math, and writing. These are not gifts commonly seen with each other, yet God gave them to me for a reason.
I am really good with numbers and God has shown me how to teach recently. So I am seeking to get certified in Physics and Math. But I've also been fencing for 12 years and am going to seek coaching as a option. Math and sports usually aren't seen in the same person too often. Math and an ability to write, even less.
In the last 3 1/2 years, God opened the door for me to get into fiction novel writing as a hobby. And he has enabled me to use my understanding and experience in fencing to write battle scenes that truly depict a properly done fight. I've read a number of authors that do a sword fight and they clearly don't know a beat from a parry (same action, one is offense, the other is defense). I've read some others that have done some research and while I can tell they've learned stuff, I can also tell they've never held a weapon in thier life. So I've sought to give readers sword action from someone who truly knows the use of blades and the mindset of being in battle.
I've written a fiction novel with a heavy Christian Spiritual Warfare theme. And after several years of editing and patiently waiting, the time may be here for publication. I have been contacted by Lighthous Christian Publishing expressing interest in my novel. So I am currently reviewing my novel one last time before submitting it. If they like what they see, I can expect talks for a contract following shortly. And when that happens, it won't be long be you may see Battle Cry: Adventures in the Kingdom of Heaven on the shelves of bookstores.
I am really good with numbers and God has shown me how to teach recently. So I am seeking to get certified in Physics and Math. But I've also been fencing for 12 years and am going to seek coaching as a option. Math and sports usually aren't seen in the same person too often. Math and an ability to write, even less.
In the last 3 1/2 years, God opened the door for me to get into fiction novel writing as a hobby. And he has enabled me to use my understanding and experience in fencing to write battle scenes that truly depict a properly done fight. I've read a number of authors that do a sword fight and they clearly don't know a beat from a parry (same action, one is offense, the other is defense). I've read some others that have done some research and while I can tell they've learned stuff, I can also tell they've never held a weapon in thier life. So I've sought to give readers sword action from someone who truly knows the use of blades and the mindset of being in battle.
I've written a fiction novel with a heavy Christian Spiritual Warfare theme. And after several years of editing and patiently waiting, the time may be here for publication. I have been contacted by Lighthous Christian Publishing expressing interest in my novel. So I am currently reviewing my novel one last time before submitting it. If they like what they see, I can expect talks for a contract following shortly. And when that happens, it won't be long be you may see Battle Cry: Adventures in the Kingdom of Heaven on the shelves of bookstores.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
The Helmet of Salvation
# 6 of 6
The Helmet had two very important roles in a solider in battle. One was to protect the head. The other was to bear the colors of the lord or army for whom he fought. For the Greek or Roman it was easy to tell who was in which army by the colors of the uniform as well as the helmet. But in the feudal days of the Middle Ages, many knights wore the same type of armor, so to tell who was who, they would put the colors of thier lord on thier helmet. The military salute we have today also originates from the medieval helmet. They had visors to protect the face, and in the jousting competitions, it was known to throw in a ringer who was very good to fight in place of the lord. So to prove that a person was really who they were, before the match, they would raise the visor as a recognition to the opponent saying 'This is who I am'.
In sport fencing, the number one rule from individual practice to club to competition is that you must never cross blades without a mask on. The fencing mask should have kept the name 'helmet' but the French got there first and called them masks, likely because they made it hard to identify the opponent. In competition, fencers must have thier equipment inspected by an armorer for saftey reasons. The mask has a steel mesh that allows the fencer to see but protects the face from practically any blow. The mesh must be able to withstand a 40 kg punch test, which is stronger than most fencers are capable of delivering. The only incidents in which a mask failed to hold after being tested and approved involved broken blades which were sharp. After the mask passes the test, it is stamped so the referee knows it is eligible for use.
When it comes to spiritual warfare, like in fencing, we are not allowed to engage in combat unless we are first bearing the Helmet of Salvation. We are not allowed to pick up the Sword of the Spirit unless we are under the Blood Covenant of the cross and have been approved by God to wield it. The Helmet of Salvation bears the colors of the King of Kings, but unlike fencing masks which need to be tested for each competition, the Helmet of Salvation is a once-done deal. The decision to follow Christ is a life-time commitment and once you become a Christian, you will stay a Christian. Salvation is a gift that cannot be earned. And if we cannot earn it, we cannot do anything to lose it. And if we could lose it by our acts, there is no hope for any.
The Helmet of Salvation completes the Armor of God, but so many times, many Christians want to go about thier lives wearing only the Helmet of Salvation. These so called 'nominal' Christians want Jesus to save them from thier sins, but they still want to live thier own lives thier way. The problem is that we are at war and if we go naked aside from the helmet, we are easy prey. Paul tells us to put on the FULL Armor of God so when the day of evil comes we will be able to stand our ground. We don't know when evil is going to make thier move so we must make it a daily exercise to put on the Armor. You cannot wait until it arrives to put it on. The enemy moves too quickly and is described as a roaring lion seeking any whom he can devour. The lion does not hunt the healthy and strong. It hunts the weak, the young, the slow, and the unprotected. It only attacks the strong when threatened. So when we don't put on the Full Armor of God, we are only inviting the enemy to come in and mess up our lives. So put on every piece of the Armor of God every day, be alert and on guard, and press forward for the goal laid out before us.
The Helmet had two very important roles in a solider in battle. One was to protect the head. The other was to bear the colors of the lord or army for whom he fought. For the Greek or Roman it was easy to tell who was in which army by the colors of the uniform as well as the helmet. But in the feudal days of the Middle Ages, many knights wore the same type of armor, so to tell who was who, they would put the colors of thier lord on thier helmet. The military salute we have today also originates from the medieval helmet. They had visors to protect the face, and in the jousting competitions, it was known to throw in a ringer who was very good to fight in place of the lord. So to prove that a person was really who they were, before the match, they would raise the visor as a recognition to the opponent saying 'This is who I am'.
In sport fencing, the number one rule from individual practice to club to competition is that you must never cross blades without a mask on. The fencing mask should have kept the name 'helmet' but the French got there first and called them masks, likely because they made it hard to identify the opponent. In competition, fencers must have thier equipment inspected by an armorer for saftey reasons. The mask has a steel mesh that allows the fencer to see but protects the face from practically any blow. The mesh must be able to withstand a 40 kg punch test, which is stronger than most fencers are capable of delivering. The only incidents in which a mask failed to hold after being tested and approved involved broken blades which were sharp. After the mask passes the test, it is stamped so the referee knows it is eligible for use.
When it comes to spiritual warfare, like in fencing, we are not allowed to engage in combat unless we are first bearing the Helmet of Salvation. We are not allowed to pick up the Sword of the Spirit unless we are under the Blood Covenant of the cross and have been approved by God to wield it. The Helmet of Salvation bears the colors of the King of Kings, but unlike fencing masks which need to be tested for each competition, the Helmet of Salvation is a once-done deal. The decision to follow Christ is a life-time commitment and once you become a Christian, you will stay a Christian. Salvation is a gift that cannot be earned. And if we cannot earn it, we cannot do anything to lose it. And if we could lose it by our acts, there is no hope for any.
The Helmet of Salvation completes the Armor of God, but so many times, many Christians want to go about thier lives wearing only the Helmet of Salvation. These so called 'nominal' Christians want Jesus to save them from thier sins, but they still want to live thier own lives thier way. The problem is that we are at war and if we go naked aside from the helmet, we are easy prey. Paul tells us to put on the FULL Armor of God so when the day of evil comes we will be able to stand our ground. We don't know when evil is going to make thier move so we must make it a daily exercise to put on the Armor. You cannot wait until it arrives to put it on. The enemy moves too quickly and is described as a roaring lion seeking any whom he can devour. The lion does not hunt the healthy and strong. It hunts the weak, the young, the slow, and the unprotected. It only attacks the strong when threatened. So when we don't put on the Full Armor of God, we are only inviting the enemy to come in and mess up our lives. So put on every piece of the Armor of God every day, be alert and on guard, and press forward for the goal laid out before us.
Friday, August 13, 2010
The Sword of The Spirit
# 5 of 6
The sword was one of the first weapons man created and is a legendary icon in the history of the world. The sword is not just an instrument of war. It is a symbol of loyalty, knighthood, position, and nobility. Blacksmiths would spend years perfecting thier craft to make blades that would last generations. A sword would be carried down the family line to the eldest son. Many peasants didn't have swords, as they would be too expensive and swords were often only carried by those who had a standing in the kingdom. A sword is also a symbol of defense. To carry a sword, meant the wielder was armed and able to defend himself. Swords have been used in numerous ceremonies from awarding knighthood to cutting the cake at a wedding. In the Crusades, swords were given a cross hilt to represent the cross of Jesus. This reminded the knights that they fought for more than the cause of their king, but also for the King of Kings.
Today, swords have lost thier luster in the battlefield due to the rise of firearms. But they still remain icons in nearly every culture. It is hard to find a boy that does not want to play with swords at some point. Swords are kept in memory through movies, through sports like fencing and some martial arts, and through reinactment groups such as the SCA. The weapon has come from more than just a killing weapon into an art form. But no matter where you turn, every culture has numerous connections both modern and historical to the use of the sword.
In Ephesians, Paul described the Sword of the Spirit as the Word of God. Throughout prophetic scriptures, like Revelation, an image of a sword coming out of a mouth is frequently seen. Even Proverbs describe words acting like swords. Revelation 12:11 describes the Word of our Testimony as a weapon with which the saints will defeat the dragon. The sword in our spiritual war is the Word. Hebrews 4:12 describes the Word of God to be living and acting, sharper than any two-edged sword. Ephesians refers to the breathed, spoken Word of God, Rhema. Hebrews talks about the complete Word of God, Logos. So boths aspects to the 'Word' of God are described as swords. What is truly amazing about the Sword of the Spirit, is that it is living and active. God tells us we don't need to worry about what to say when we are brought before the kings and rulers, because the Spirit will give us the words to say. In this context, we learn that the Sword we wield will fight the battle for us, and all we have to do is hold on to it. The swords used in battle are not alive and if you let go of them, they drop to the ground. But the Sword of the Spirit is alive and it will fight for us. It is the offensive weapon we have against the forces of darkness and it is a weapon that the enemy fears with the utmost respect.
Next post will be the last of this series: the Helmet of Salvation
The sword was one of the first weapons man created and is a legendary icon in the history of the world. The sword is not just an instrument of war. It is a symbol of loyalty, knighthood, position, and nobility. Blacksmiths would spend years perfecting thier craft to make blades that would last generations. A sword would be carried down the family line to the eldest son. Many peasants didn't have swords, as they would be too expensive and swords were often only carried by those who had a standing in the kingdom. A sword is also a symbol of defense. To carry a sword, meant the wielder was armed and able to defend himself. Swords have been used in numerous ceremonies from awarding knighthood to cutting the cake at a wedding. In the Crusades, swords were given a cross hilt to represent the cross of Jesus. This reminded the knights that they fought for more than the cause of their king, but also for the King of Kings.
Today, swords have lost thier luster in the battlefield due to the rise of firearms. But they still remain icons in nearly every culture. It is hard to find a boy that does not want to play with swords at some point. Swords are kept in memory through movies, through sports like fencing and some martial arts, and through reinactment groups such as the SCA. The weapon has come from more than just a killing weapon into an art form. But no matter where you turn, every culture has numerous connections both modern and historical to the use of the sword.
In Ephesians, Paul described the Sword of the Spirit as the Word of God. Throughout prophetic scriptures, like Revelation, an image of a sword coming out of a mouth is frequently seen. Even Proverbs describe words acting like swords. Revelation 12:11 describes the Word of our Testimony as a weapon with which the saints will defeat the dragon. The sword in our spiritual war is the Word. Hebrews 4:12 describes the Word of God to be living and acting, sharper than any two-edged sword. Ephesians refers to the breathed, spoken Word of God, Rhema. Hebrews talks about the complete Word of God, Logos. So boths aspects to the 'Word' of God are described as swords. What is truly amazing about the Sword of the Spirit, is that it is living and active. God tells us we don't need to worry about what to say when we are brought before the kings and rulers, because the Spirit will give us the words to say. In this context, we learn that the Sword we wield will fight the battle for us, and all we have to do is hold on to it. The swords used in battle are not alive and if you let go of them, they drop to the ground. But the Sword of the Spirit is alive and it will fight for us. It is the offensive weapon we have against the forces of darkness and it is a weapon that the enemy fears with the utmost respect.
Next post will be the last of this series: the Helmet of Salvation
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