good superhero

In the last couple of years there have been a lot of superhero movies from Marvel or DC comics. I still remembered when I was a kid, there were really only a few movies, Batman, and Spiderman, which happen to be on my favorite list.

But nowadays, there are like 2-5 movies a year on superheroes, and I am pretty sure some people are getting tired from them, whereas others are overjoyed to see the "less famous" superheroes come into the big screen. I personally enjoy good action movies, with a decent plot, and some comedic relief once in a while.

This year there were 4 big films that many were looking forward to:
- Captain America: Civil War
- X-men: Age of Apocalypse
- Batman vs Superman
- Suicide Squad

I think Marvel is doing way better job at storytelling. But in general many of these movies share similar issues of plot holes, saturating too many characters, lack of pace and transition, unlikable characters, etc. Still, I went to the theaters to watch them.

One common theme from these films is the conflict of "controlling" the superheroes. Most of these characters have amazing powers that can easily allow them to do whatever they want. Fortunately, most of them have "good" moral values, and humanity is safe. But what happens when they are not longer "good"? Would humanity be at risk? Remember, these superheroes are still imperfect humans, and there is no guarantee that they will not go rogue.

(spoiler alert)

In Civil War, the United Nations trying to pass a bill to impose certain restrictions on the Avenger's movement (a weak attempt to control them). Batman vs Superman has the dark night trying to kill the man of steel because he thinks Superman does not care about people's lives. Suicide Squad is about a team of powerful villains working for the government in case a "bad" Superman was to arise. Age of Apocalypse shows how it would look like if a crazy god-wannabe was to rule.

(spoiler ends)


The idea of a demigod been so powerful definitely scares people, because you never know if it will turn against you.

I think one of the attributes of our Christian God that sometimes we don't ponder enough is God's goodness. Sometimes I take it for granted, because I am so "used to" experiencing God's mercy and love, and He always take care of me. But as I think about deeper, God's goodness is huge and is a key point that makes our faith true and consistent. For example, because God is good:

• I know that "in all things God works for the good of those who live him" (Romans 8:28)
• His love for me is real and I can truly say "Because you love is better than life, my lips will glorify you" (Psalms 63:3)
• Even if I fail, God is faithful and keeps His promise (2 Timothy 2:13)
• Our hope makes sense despite the suffering, because we are assured that this will mold us and we renewed inwardly day by day (2 Corinthians 4:16-18, Romans 5)

There is so much more that can be written.

Now, I am going to make a side discussion. In my church, we had the opportunity to listen to a 2 session seminar from a Christian pastor who used to be Muslim. The seminar was about the persecution on Christians that are happening on Iraq and Syria (places were the Islamic State has a stronghold).  There was a lot of information, and I felt it was very beneficial for the church to know more about Islam, to be informed, to learn so that we can develop a good answer for the big issues on Islam and violence.

One particular point I want to bring out, is that the pastor said that true Islam is violent. This could mean that what the Islamic State is doing now might represent well what the Quran teaches. I myself am not expert on Islam theology to take a stance, and I don't think I am well informed to enter into a debate. So my intentions is to present facts and contrast them with our Christian faith, and glean lessons out of them.

These are external articles and interviews I read to gained more information:

• An interview with a former Muslim who is now a Christian: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/does-isis-represent-true-islam
• 9 basic things about Islam: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/9-things-you-should-know-about-islam
• Does Islam lead to violence: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/does-islam-inevitably-lead-to-violence
• John Piper's thoughts on why westerners are attracted to Islamic State: http://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/why-is-radical-islam-alluring-to-westerners

These are a few points:

• Both religions have laws, and Islam focuses more on behavior on keeping them, whereas Christianity teaches about inward obedience in respond to God's goodness and love.
• Missionaries: Christians emphasizes on loving others and sharing the gospel, but never forcing our faiths to others, but trusting that Holy Spirit works in transforming unbelievers. In the history of Islam, there are examples of Muslims forcing others to believe (especially when they have conquered your land).
• Historical context, some of the chapters from Quran that speaks about inflicting violence to others were written when Mohammed (first prophet) had gathered a great number of followers, and was no longer just a prophet but also a political leader. So some of these ideology were used as a reason to conquer lands or retaliate to people who have taken land away from them.
• Violence on Islam is nothing new. It happened through history many times, but now we just have more media exposure.
• A strong focus on Islam in exerting power and dominion, in contrast of Christ's teachings on loving your enemies.
• Many of the people attracted to Islamic State share similar beliefs as Christians (dying for your faith, hope in the glory of God), but the root ideology is erroneous and twisted. 

Concluding thoughts

• Not trying to pinpoint Islam as the sole source of violence, it is a human issue due to sin. Christians themselves are as guilty in partaking in violence throughout history. No one is good, except for God Himself. Hence we can redemption in Him, that He will transform us from our sinful state into people who can do good.
• It is very disheartening to read the news and see the atrocities that are happening in other parts of the world, especially fellow brothers and sisters who are persecuted. Some ponder whether the world superpowers (a few countries) should help intervene and eradicate these terrorist groups. But not sure if that will spawn new groups in the future... (cycle of hatred, revenge, etc). It is a battle of ideology, and many believe that this is an opportunity for the Christian faith to shine the light in the places that is most needed, because we believe our is God is good.

"A certain ruler asked him, 'Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?'
  
 'Why do you call me good?' Jesus answered. 
 'No one is good - except God alone.' " - Luke 18:18-19

athlete

Though there are many criticism on the issues that Brazil is facing as a country, the Olympics at Rio de Janeiro has started, and many great things have occurred. I remembered that it was the Olympics at Atlanta in 1996 that I first watched and grew very attached in watching many of these sports today.

Here are some of the great sport achievements of this week:

• Penny Oleksiak a 16 year old Canadian swimmer conquering the heart of many fans with an Olympic record on 100m freestyle swim, and the first Canadian to win 4 medals in one games. What a great future!
• Americans dominating the swimming medal count, especially with Katie Ledecky winning very convincingly the 200m, 400, 800m freestyle (beating her own World Record) and Michael Phelps adding more medals to his illustrious career.
• Synchronized Diving, a sport where China is considered the best, Wu Minxia achieved a historic 5th goal medal since her participation in 2014 Olympics in 3m springboard. An achievement that was later repeated by her compatriot Chen Ruolin in the 10m springboard.  
• Almaz Ayana from Ethiopia broke the 10,000m race World Record by 14 seconds, which is insane.
• Kohei Uchimura in an intense competition in the all-round men gymnastics competition, grabbed the gold medal by performing a spectacular on his last apparatus (high bar) and beat the second place by 0.1 point. He is also a gold medalist in London 2012 and silver medalisy in Beijing 2008.

There still more events coming up, and I am very excited to see them.

One special athlete I want to focus on is the Italian Tania Cagnotto from 3m springboard diving. She got a silver medal on synchronized diving, and though her achievement might seem small compared to the ones listed above, I really admire her because of her perseverance. I remembered her in the 2012 Olympics, where she was 0.1 point from getting a bronze medal and was ranked 4th. I actually remembered blogging about it 4 years ago. She cried in her coach's shoulder because she has been so close to a medal (she got 4th on both synchronized and individual on 2012, and ranked 5th on individual on 2008). No one was sure if she would come back for another Olympics as she might retire due to her age, and it is difficult to overcome such disappointment. But she kept training and competing, and her perseverance paid off, and now she can boast of a silver Olympic medal, and she might have another chance at the individual competition next week.

I admire athletes because of their discipline and motivation to train and improve. It is not a surprise that the bible has verses that talks about the imagery of someone of races, one who race with perseverance (Hebrew 12:1), one who exercise self-control (1 Cor. 9:24-27), and one who finishes the race (2 Tim. 4:7).

Perseverance is very important because there are many obstacles and disappointments in life but we have to keep striving forward for what Christ has called us. The lesson of  discipline is a hard one. Sometimes it is so difficult to just find time to read the bible on our busy lives. I know in my head that reading the Word is important, I have tasted that the bible is very refreshing, but despite of that I sometimes choose to fill my time with other activities. Discipline means that we need to stick to do what we have to do, even when we do not feel like it. These are two very important lessons that I need to work on more, and through God's grace I hope to improve, all for His glory.

no te vayas Lio

In the recent weeks there have been much football, and the season of international tournaments is coming to an end soon. Throughout these couple of weeks, there have been 3 major "calamities" in the world of football:

1) England getting beaten by Iceland

After surprising vote for "Brexit", the nation of England got a second calamity by losing in the round of 16 against the underdog team of Iceland. Many of the English players are considered superstars and they played on the prestigious Premier League, but Iceland has only 330,000 people on the whole country (for reference, I went to a football stadium that fits 85,000 people, so it's like 4 times that on a whole nation), and most of them do not play at a professional league, and they managed to put a team to win. Funny thing is that the Icelandic football coach is a full time dentist, who is on a sabbatical coaching the team.

English commentators state that this is "their biggest shame in football history".

2) Spain's dominion coming to an end

Spain has gifted us with a great generation of players who delights us with their skills and talent. They have been impressive in winning major tournaments back to back: Euro 2008, World Cup 2010, and Euro 2012. Keeping many of the key players, they could not pass the first round in World Cup 2014, but people still have hope that they would do well in Euro 2016. They started well by defeating Czech Rep, and then dominating Turkey, but looked tired when facing Croatia, and lost against them. That lost was critical as it set them to face Italy, which ultimately eliminated Spain from the competition. Pretty much this lost marks an end to this glorious Spanish generation.

3) Argentina losing another final

Argentina was the great favorite team to win the Copa America 2016, with Lionel Messi as the commanding star. They were second in the World Cup 2014, and second in the Copa America 2015, and they are experiencing a 23 year "drought" of not winning a major football tournament. So all hopes from the Argentine nation were placed in this team to win the Copa America, and they reached final to play against Chile (the current champion).

I am a big Argentina fan, so I actually drove with New Jersey to watch the final game. I wore the Argentina jersey, and was very hopeful that they would win this time. It was a neat experience to enter the stadium to see the Argentine players that I admire, especially Messi. The game started, and the ambient was festive, and whenever Messi touched the ball, the audience's mood would warm up. When he was about to take a free kick, everyone was ready with their smartphones to record a video in the case that he was to score. Unfortunately, the game was rough, and the referee expelled a player from each side, so it became very defensive and tight, so very little opportunities for good plays. Consequently, it went to penalty kicks, where Messi would missed, and Argentina would lose a 3rd consecutive final at a major football tournament in the last 3 years.

This event shattered me emotionally, but a few hours after, Messi announced that he would retire from Argentina national team, and this is a tragic news for the nation and for myself. He is still 29, which means he can play the next World Cup at a high level. With him, Argentina can be a title contender, without him, Argentina looks fragile. This news has led to a social movement in Argentina where many fans and even the president of the nation are asking Messi to reconsider his position.

Anyways, I don't want to over-dramatize my emotions on football.


Just how Argentina have been fruitless on winning major tournaments, sometimes living as a Christian, we might experience seasons of dryness where perhaps we feel it is harder to find joy in God, or that the labor of our work seems fruitless. For some reason this happens, and the fact that we are sinful by nature is major factor, as well God might be teaching us an important lesson. It is hard to find an answer of the why these seasons of dryness can occur. Though they can be very discouraging and painful, there are major truths that we need to be reminded by:

• God is never going to abandon you
• Even though I am not faithful, God is faithful, and His promise to deliver me will stand
• God is never changing, no matter what season, and He is our reason to live and worship

There are times when this song the "Desert Song" by Hillsong speaks volumes:

"This is my prayer in the desert
When all that's within me feels dry
This is my prayer in my hunger and need
My God is the God who provides

And this is my prayer in the fire
In weakness or trial or pain
There is a faith proved
Of more worth than gold

So refine me, Lord, through the flame

...

And this is my prayer in the battle
When triumph is still on its way
I am a conqueror and co-heir with Christ

So firm on His promise I'll stand

All of my life
In every season
You are still God
I have a reason to sing
I have a reason to worship"

pasion por el futbol

Definitely enjoy the abundance of football (soccer as it is called here) happening this year.

Honestly, this is something I really much miss. I grew up in Guatemala, where most people are into football, and it is easy to find people who I can share the love for this sport. Many people in Guatemala complains about the corruption in the government, about the economical situation, about the robbery, and this list goes on, but whenever the national team is playing football, all is forgotten. I remembered there was a time when Guatemala played a friendly match with Brazil, a powerhouse int his sport, and of course Brazil was leading 1-0 for most of the game. Last minute of the game, and a corner kick from Guatemala, the player kicks it, and someone connects a header, and scores the tie! It was very exciting, and even one of my neighbors set up some firecrackers to celebrate.

The Euro 2016 is going to a round of 16, and there are many great surprises, teams that are supposed to be strong, are not doing that well, and "smaller" teams doing well.

One special mention I want to make is for Iceland, which has a population smaller than Newfoundland and Labrador; their population is that small, that 8% of its people are actually in France to support their team. Even with such a small country, they are able to assemble a team that qualified for the second round, and today they won their first game ever in Euro history thanks to a goal at the very last minute of the game. The excitement is beyond charts, especially from these Icelandic commentator: https://www.theguardian.com/football/video/2016/jun/22/icelandic-commentator-goes-wild-after-icelands-winner-against-austria-audio

When I see this, I smile as I found someone with similar "pasion por el futbol"

man, work is tedious

A topic that has been permanently on my radar is regarding work, because I spend more than 40 hours a week in it, and I myself often experience feelings of restlessness in it.

So I have a conglomeration of thoughts that I hope I can make sense on this post. A lot of it comes from many great discussions I have with other brothers and sisters, books that I read (especially "Every Good Endeavor" by Tim Keller, and insights from the bible.

I apologize ahead of time, as ideas might not be as organized as it could be.

Why do we need to work?

I think there are many "layers" of answers for this question. The first layer is the obvious, to earn money so that we can pay our living necessities (food, rent, internet). On top of it, we can earn money to enjoy some luxuries (e.g. from going McDonald's to going on a vacation). This has a heavier weight for those who needs to sustain a family (1 Timothy 5:8).

Though this first layer seems a good answer, it does feel very transaction based (I put in 40 hours, I get $$$ back). There is nothing wrong with that, but as a Christian I think there is more.

Second layer, work is just a "means" to a bigger goal. We can extend the first layer to the case where I work hard to earn money because I can use this money to support missionaries or church plants, basically partnering for the gospel work with generosity and stewardship. Or it could be something more integrated in the workplace, like I am reaching out coworkers so that they can hear the gospel, or have regular prayer meetings with other Christians at work. Or work could be something not "explicitly" mission focused, where my current workplace is jut stepping stone to a future career.

Third layer, is looking at the biblical response to why we do work. Genesis 1 shows that God created the universe and that He rested on the seventh day. We are made in God's image, so we also have the capacity and creativity to work, as well there is the need of leisure. Moreover, God commanded man to "fill the earth and subdue it" (Genesis 1:28) and assigned some work for Adam on the garden of Eden. The word "subdue" does not mean to do whatever we want on earth, but if we see it with the context of being stewards of God, we are to subdue the earth as God intent to do. So God gave us work to do, as well we are to work in a way that God wants us to. A term that is often used is "cultivate" our workplace, where we are not just there to earn money, but to also do our best to make the most out of it to make it a better place, whether it's through sharing the gospel, serving others, improving a process, or helping with people conflicts. Indirectly, I also think there is value in being good on what we do, to do our best, to improve ourselves, as we are using God's gifts for His purpose.

Really, the overall purpose is the glorify God in all we do (1 Cor 10:31).

Why are there negative aspects about work?

Everything mentioned in the first question is highly theoretical, and it is hard to take it to heart and practice it. The truth is, work is rough, like very rough. Some people are blessed with jobs that they really like to do, which is awesome. Even in those situations, I think there are days where work can be very annoying.

In my experience, I have very good days with work, also very bad days. I have heard from many peers that work usually feels a bit meaningless, it can be boring, it can very stressful, it ca be discouraging, it can be painful to deal with certain people, etc.

Many people I know usually don't want to talk about work at all, because it has such a negative aspect to it.

This is a reality because of sin, people are naturally selfish, and putting people together will inevitably result in conflicts, which cause some of the pain points mentioned above.

God did say that labor will be painful (Genesis 3:17). Sin is bad. In a way, this verse is seen as some sort of curse for men, where we will have to work, and it will rough. Still, I think it is part of God's plan, and I think we find grace in it, and He works in us through it.

How do I deal with the negative aspects about work?

Rough question.

I think if we look back at why we have to work (first question), if we treat work as just a transaction based task (hours for $$$), it can feel really meaningless. I think that as Christians we have to embrace deeper layers of mindset in how we approach work. At the end of the day, work is not the end, but a means to other larger goals, and if we are to embrace God's design for work, where we also cultivate our workplace to be a better place, it is not longer meaningless.

When there is discouragement because of lack of fruits, that's also ok, because if you are doing something for God with the right attitude, maybe the physical results might not come right now, but I think God does value hard work done in faith, and in His timings, change may occur.

Regarding stress, I think part of it is because we are always too busy, and not resting enough. Whenever there is a free day, we just fill it up with many activities, so maybe we never truly the get the rest that we need to recharge.

I want to make a note about the "freedom" that we have as Christians. I know many people work and gets into very stressful scenarios because there is a strive to be recognized, to do very well, and in some sense measure our value based on our performance at work. Though, there is value in working hard, I think that is based on knowing who we really are in Christ, that our identity is based on God loving us that He gave Christ to die for our sins, and adopted us as His sons and daughters. So God loves us first, and we don't need to perform well to earn His love for us. So we are free from these sort of pursuits.

How about finding satisfaction at work?

There are people who might be very satisfied at work because they work in a field that they really like or they are working in helping others in need (social work, health services, missions) and that is a very related to being missional as Christians.

But what do we do when we are not on any of those fields?

This is also a rough question.

I think the aspect of satisfaction or job fulfillment is probably a relative new thing. When I look back at my parents' generation, a lot of them did not have the privilege to get an education, so most of their work can be very boring and have a lack of satisfaction in "today's standards" but they did it anyways, maybe there is no other choice. Nowadays, we do have many choices, so we always wonder if there is a better job opportunity or career out there. Thinking about my parents, I know that they are probably really bored during their jobs a large portion of the time, but probably found some sense of satisfaction when they were able to provide for the family, and give my brother and me an opportunity to education, which could lead to a better future.

I don't have a clear answer for this, but I think if we look back again on why we do work, if we are there to cultivate our workplace on what God has entrusted us, if we do not find satisfaction on this task, then we really need to evaluate what's going on.

How to determine what work to choose?

If we are given various job opportunities or even career options, how do we go about choosing?

One easy answer is to look at our skill sets, and go with the option that overlaps more with our skills. It's not the greatest, because God can call you to something different (stretching it a bit, but God calls David to be king, and he was a shepherd before that).

I got no solid answers just some intermediate guidelines.

We are not just to think about work as a 40 hours box, really think more of a "vocation", a career at which we are dedicated to and look at the larger picture, which is to glorify God in all we do. Here are some things to look for:

• location: this is key as depending on where you live, you get to be impacted or impact different communities
• Kingdom currency: this term is something I made up, but think where I can make more impact in advancing God's Kingdom
• long term dream: maybe there is something that God has put in your heart, but maybe it's way too ambitious, but perhaps it is something that might happen on a very long term, so take small steps to get close to it
• take risks if God does open a new opportunity for you. Changes often invites risk, but have faith that God is in control

Probably this question is more complex that just a few bullet points (it's not a linear equation but a multi-variable differential equation), so honestly life is really rough, but despite that we struggle and can move on because of a sovereign God.

heroes

There is a bunch of football (soccer) going on lately, both the Euro 2016 (European tournament) and the Copa America (American tournament) happening at the same time. This is great because I really like to watch football, especially at the national team levels. The Euro happens during the day, so I get just a bit distracted during work hours, and the Copa America happens at night, so I can relax after dinner watching more football.

There are many great things happening on both tournaments now, but I want to mention just one. Lionel Messi, who many people agree he is the best player of the world, just surpassed the record on most goals scored with the Argentina national team. The record holder was Gabriel Batistuta ("Batigol"), a forward who played during the 90s with Argentina. As a child, I grew up watching "Batigol" play, and he kind of hero to me. The reason why Argentina is my favorite team, is because on my very first football game that I watched, Argentina beat Greece 4-0, and "Batigol" scored three goals.

When asked how he felt knowing that Messi would surpass his record, "Batigol" said that he would probably be annoyed, but that at least he can boast that a player "from another dimension" surpassed him.

Another person who I also consider a hero, is my dad. He is someone who is loving, very social, a good businessman, very supportive, and provided for the family. I am very grateful that I never had to struggle with lack of food on the table, and as well very thankful that my dad was able to support me on my education, so that I can be where I am right now. Of course, he is far from perfect, and definitely has his faults, but overall I think he is a good dad.

It's strange though, as a kid, I saw my dad as someone stronger who protects you, someone who had most of the answers to my questions, someone who would instruct me what to do, in a way someone who I feared as well. Now that I am grown up, it's different. Definitely, I still much respect my dad, but I would disagree with some of his views of life, he has grown a bit weaker physically, and sometimes I would give him advise on what to do. It's an interesting shift, and I think it is normal, as we grow older, we become more independent, and we develop a framework on how we view life, and perhaps we are more privileged in this generation to have more access to education and information.

One of the things that I do ponder is how to "honor" my father and mother. As a kid, I saw this command as pretty much obeying my parents. I can see obeying as a means of honoring, but honoring does not necessarily mean obeying. Now that I live very far, in another country, from my parents, it is difficult to have frequent interactions with them, and sometimes I feel very much disconnected with them, and it is challenging to see how "honoring your parents" looks like in my scenario.

I don't particular have a clear answer to this question, but a few things I try to do at a regular basis:

• pray for them, for their health, and that they focus on what is important
• talk to them regularly (whatsapp calls are great), and keep them updated about what you're doing (might be mundane things, but at least this help them feel that they are somehow in the loop)
• be patient with them, and listen to what they have to say, and if I disagree, respectfully make it known to them, and advise them 
• ocassionaly, give them gifts (they provided for me for so long, so this is the least I could do, plus it is a way to show love)

“Honor your father and mother”- which is the first commandment with a promise - “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” - Ephesians 6:2-3

Kyoto - heart of Japan

So for the longest time, I wanted to visit the old capital city of Japan, Kyoto. The main reason is because I first heard of this place when I watched the anime series Rurouni Kenshin almost 10 years ago, which is kinda silly of me.

During the anime series (and with certain degree of historical accuracy), many battles occurred in Kyoto between Imperial forces and "Shogunate" during the Japanese civil war. And  in the anime series, the main characters goes back to Kyoto embarking on his most important battle to "open a path" for a better future in Japan. So I felt pumped up to go into Kyoto.

Of course, Kyoto is very famous for many of the cultural sites, especially temples and castles, For sure we cannot visit the hundreds of castles that exist, so we have to choose a few selected one to visit.

The first one, is the "Golden Pavilion" which looks pretty nice.



Also, black sesame soft serve is probably one of my favorite.




Rock garden of "Ryoanyi" was a neat place with artistic appeal.




The large temple of "Kiyomizudera" was nice because we visited on the evening, and they actually have special week of "light-ing"







The bamboo forest in "Arashiyama" felt pretty epic, it's a place that you can imagine 2 samurai fighting to death in a movie (unfortunately I was feeling a under the weather during that time, so did not take any good pictures).





My favorite place is probably the "many red gates" temple of "Fushimi Inari" because it was a very cool hike to a top of a mountain, and this just a symbolic place of Kyoto.



























My friends and I spent about 3 days in Kyoto, taking daily trips from our base in Osaka. Probably good enough time to hit all the major attractions. We also hit other places like "Imperial Palace in Kyoto" with a free English tour (need to book ahead of time) and the "International Manga Museum" which surpassed my expectations on how much fun it was, and the geisha district of "Gion", where you can appreciate the old style looking streets and hallways.

Definitely, it is a place I would like to visit again, maybe on a lower pace schedule, just to appreciate more on the cultural treasures in Japan.

Outside of the fun stuff and the natural appreciation of cultural heritage of a country, I also observed that Japanese people are very traditional and paid much respects to the rituals and beliefs. So it was natural to see them bowing to a temple gate, or at the entrance of the temple, or to participate on getting the good luck charms, etc.  In a way, that is very Asian, but also made me realized that many people do not know the true God of this universe. Even been a very open country, about 1% of the population in Japan are said to be Christians, which is very low and makes me realize the great need of gospel work in there.

On that topic, I visited at least 3 different churches during my stay in Japan, and it was refreshing and encouraging to see fellow Japanese believes worshipping our good God! Probably will share more on that on another day.