Perseverance

Since the soccer season is about to come to an end, and the Euro Cup is happening this summer, I will be talking about my favorite sport more often.

I grew up watching great players who have retired or are retiring soon, and there are two that I really like: Alessandro del Piero (from Juventus) and Francesco Totti (from AS Roma).


They are considered as the most talented players in Italy in the recent decades, and they are both near the end of their career. Actually this weekend their teams will face each other, but the likelihood of seeing both in the field is not high because both players has been benching for most of this season.


They both share many common characteristics:

• Played for the same team since the start of their career (about 20 years ago), and are captains of their respective team
• Scored more than 200 goals in ~500 appearances in their respective team (both of them are top scorers and highest capped in their respective teams)
• Won the Italian league at least once
• Part of top 10 scorers in all-history in the Italian league (Totti is ranked 5th, del Piero is ranked 9th)
• Played in the position of '10' (playmaker, second striker)
• Winner of the Golden Foot
• Multiple awards with the Italy national team: World Cup (2006), 2nd place on Euro Cup (2000)
• Part of FIFA 100 (top 125 living players in history)
• Nicknames: "Bimbo d'Oro" (Golden Boy) for Totti, "Il Pinturicchio" (artist from Renaissance) for del Piero

Before I get more excited talking more details about them, I want to explain one interesting trait that they both shared, and that is they are both "one-team man". This means that they have been playing on the same team for all their career. This is not that rare (especially since both Juventus and AS Roma are renown teams), but most famous players do switch team for fame, money, increase chances of winning something, etc. There was a time when Juventus was demoted to a secondary league and many famous players left, but del Piero decided to stay to help the team get promoted to the main league. As well, AS Roma does not have the potential to compete with other big European teams, but Totti remained in his team always. Both players did get offers from other big English and Spanish teams, but they refused and decided to stay.

This shows how loyal they are to their teams, and that even though turbulent times, they decided to persevere to help this team go forward, while fame and money are very secondary factors. This makes me think of the importance of persevering in my faith. Believing in Christ is not a one time event, but a continuous journey of walking with God despite the challenges in our lives. We are to run the race with perseverance (Hebrews 12:1), and finish it well by the grace of God.

So yeah, from my own experience, there are definitely times of weakness when I contemplate the idea of giving up, but the grace of God is always compelling me to keep on running, and that is a wonderful thing to do.

Gate of Babylon

From the anime Fate Zero (mentioned in this post), there is a character by the name of Gilgamesh, who can be summoned by a magician to fight. Gilgamesh is some sort of a legendary Babylon king who is famous for collecting and storing riches in the "Gate of Babylon". Specifically, he collects swords, and his technique "Gate of Babylon" is all about explosive swords flying at you at the speed of sound. That move is kinda cool, that even Final Fantasy 13-2 has a boss who uses it. Gilgamesh also stores very fine wine in that gate.

Gilgamesh's character is one who boasts a lot of himself, and looks down at everyone else to the point of calling them mongrels. He boasts in his success of collecting the best swords of the world.

This made me think of the concept of storing treasure, which one of my favorite passages of the bible talk about:

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." - Matthew 6:19-21

So I want to follow through an earlier post I have: http://koinowarrior.blogspot.ca/2010/03/what-are-you-thirsting-for.html

From the start of sermon of the mount (Matthew 5) until the above passage, Jesus talks about various laws at which many Jews obey it by the letter, but fail to obey by the spirit. For example, one will not murder his brother, but he might have thoughts of hatred towards him. Or one man will not commit adultery, but will look lustfully at a woman. There is a big emphasis on the person's inner motive. It is not about the outward appearance, because it is easy to fake living like a Christian. So the question reside in the motivation behind a person's action.

When it pertains to good actions like studying hard, working hard, and serving hard, it is important to reflect and ask ourselves why are we doing this. Are we doing it for our selfish gain, for popularity, for reputation, for success? Or are we truly working as we are doing it for the Lord (Col 3:23)? What drives you to pursue to do those good actions? What do you desire? It is important to understand that we need to focus on God and His Kingdom in the activities we do here on earth. That the primarily focus is on God, and not in the activities themselves, because we can get too attached to a ministry that it comes an idol, or we can be mastered by the success of studies, and that is also idolatry.

I also want to introduce my concept of "kingdom currency". Whenever I make decisions regarding serving and investing my time I consider prayerfully which choice will grant me more impact in the Kingdom work. So it's like where I can invest more in the Kingdom, so that it will create more "kingdom currency". Regardless, it is very important invest in the Kingdom in the activities we are involved in. For example, if we are serving hard, it is not just about running the program but about impacting and investing in the people who attend the program. If we are studying hard is because we want to be trained so that we can use the skills in the future for God's work. If we are working hard, it is because we can become a good witness towards others.

So what's the meaning of "storing up treasure in heaven"? I don't think I have a good grasp of this concept yet, but my current thought is that we as Christians ought to focus on God in everything we do because Christ Himself is our most precious treasure and in Him we find joy. Hence, if God is our treasure, our hearts is also there, and consequently we would want to act in alignment to His will. As a result, our character is transformed, we study hard with joy, we work hard with joy, we serve hard with joy, we impact other's people's lives (through discipling, teaching, mentoring, evangelizing, witnessing). I think these are the treasures that cannot be taken away.

I think the next step is to encourage and challenge others to living in the same manner. So let each of our "gate of Babylon" that encapsulates the testimonies, character molding, impact in people's live, the track of records in God's work leave a legacy for others to follow.

As the time for Easter comes near, let us reflect in the motivation of why do we do the things we do. We have been saved by the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross, and we are not to live for ourselves, but we live for our risen King.

Commitment to Membership

There are many famous soccer players that most people know like Lionel Messi, Christiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Xavi, Andres Iniesta, etc. They are excellent players, and most of them play in my current favorite team of Barcelona.

But I gonna talk about a not-so-known player for non-soccer fans, he is Javier "el Pupi" Zanetti who plays as a right defensive winger in Argentina and in the Italian club Internazionale (Inter). He is currently 38 years old, which is at least 3-4 years above average of retiring age, but he still plays consistently well.

What is cool is that I have seen him play since I followed soccer in 1994. So it has been 18 years! So what else is cool about him? Why am I talking about this player?

Zanetti holds some pretty impressive records and honors:

• Most games played with the national team of Argentina (which is impressive considering the so many talented players that Argentina has, yet Zanetti played over 145 games!)
• Most games played with Inter with 560 games 
• Most games played on an Italian club by a non-Italian
• Oldest played to scored a goal on a UEFA Champions League game (this record has been broken by other legendaries like Ryan Giggs and Filippo Inzaghi)
• Captain of Inter since 1999
• Recognized by his charity work
• Known to behave professionally with humble and gentlemen character (he has only gotten 1 red card in 560 games in the Italian league!)

He is nicknamed "the tractor" because of his resiliency, stamina, consistency, and coverage on both defense and offense. He works hard consistently so that even at his old age his performance is very respectable. He has been playing for the same team for 17 years, and being its captain for 13 years. It shows great commitment he has for Inter as a member of the team. And I like that.

It is easy to take lightly the concept of membership with a church or fellowship. Often the church's or CCF's members' meeting tend to be not of much interest for its members. Often in CCF, only committee, some of the leaders, and a few upper years would attend. It is during member's meeting when both committee and fellowship members come together to discuss how we as sinful people can make this fellowship a better place under God's grace. It is a way for committee to get direct feedback which can be either an encouragement or some constructive criticism to improve. During this meeting, the fellowship members can keep the committee accountable for their leadership. I think it is a precious time to discuss as a family how we can be used by God to move CCF closer to where God wants to be.

Usually people only become members because of elections, since it is a requirement to vote for the committee candidates. Outside of that time, I think not many people really think about membership. 

I don't think we should look membership in a legalistic way, as in "if you are not a member, you are not cool", but we should focus more on understanding why membership is important. I can think of a few points:

• Official act of expressing your commitment towards CCF
• It is a formal way for you to express that you are committed to participate in fellowshipping with this Christian community, and this is glorifying to God. 
• Agreeing to represent as a individual the vision that CCF drives. 
• In the CCF membership form, it asks you whether you read and agreed with Article 2 and 3 of the CCF constitution which includes the common main Christian doctrines that we believe in, and the purpose of CCF. By becoming a member, I am agreeing to these things, and I will make an effort to walk in alignment with these things.
• Reminder of remaining committed to this fellowship in spite of good or bad times.
• All of us are sinners so fellowship is not a perfect place. There will be conflicts, struggles, discomforts. But by God's grace we are able to be forgiven and forgive one another. By becoming a member, I need to remind myself why I am going to CCF in the first place and not just bail out when life is tough.
• Right to vote.
• Self-explanatory. As a member you can influence the direction of CCF through the election process.

I understand that membership seems more a mere formality, but there understanding the meaning behind it helps to see why it is important.

Thoughts about leadership

Last Friday was the candidate's speeches for CCF committee, and it was encouraging to hear what God is doing in their lives, and the vision God has poured in them for the fellowship. Vision is a fundamental part of leading, and I blogged about this before about the man of vision.

I think there are two very important characteristics that all Christians leaders should have. And I want to share a bit about the passage in John 13, where our Lord Jesus washed the disciples' feet.

"It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love." - John 13:1

The first thing is to love the people who you are serving to. Knowing that God loves you despite who you are, and had given His Son to die for you. Our identity is rooted in Christ. To be Christian leaders, it is not primarily about running programs or managing parts of a fellowship, but we are to love others just as God has loved us. This is not easy because we are a group of sinners, and often we can hurt and misunderstand one another. Often leaders get criticized (sometimes in meaningful constructive ways, sometimes in unreasonable ways), and it is a challenge to actually love the people. But loving them causes you to persevere in you ministry, to pray for the people unceasingly, and to intentionally invest on them. Really, leadership is about influencing people to go towards a place closer to God, so the goal (after glorifying God) is the people.

"When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. 'Do you understand what I have done for you?' he asked them. 'You call me Teacher and Lord, and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you." - John 13:12-15

The second thing is about living as an example of the vision God has burdened your heart with. The best way to excite others about what God wants to see happening is to live it out yourself. People often are drawn to those leaders who have a pure zeal for the Lord, and that is contagious! Jesus really lived out what He preached, and we are to follow His model. And really, it is through a deep relationship with the Lord that we can live in alignment to what He has called us to. So make it always a point to invest time knowing God and learning from Him through His word and service.

God is in control

This past weekend various friends from Toronto came to visit Waterloo for many purposes (mainly hockey haha). It was pretty nice catching up with some of them during late time at night.

So there was this small incident, where I was one of the few who stayed in Sunday school, and most of my housemates went out for lunch or went to campus to study. Moreover, a friend borrowed the keys of my place during Sunday School. But I assumed someone would be home, so I went home after Sunday school and the door was locked. At first I was a bit frustrated because none of my housemates told me about their plan, and I had to find something to do meanwhile. Therefore, I decided to drop by my old place at Westcourt just because that seems to be the most natural course of action.

No one was home when I got there (but the door was unlocked as always =P). But soon, Gabe came back home from church. He graciously cooked me a very delicious lunch. And during our lunch conversation, we shared about our week, and transitioned into sharing about our goals for the future. And it was very encouraging because both of us shared about what our hearts are longing for in the context of a "life mission" and it was apparent that the Lord was burdening our hearts with these pursuits. We talked about the different options (full-time ministry, family, workplace, etc), and I was a bit surprised to see the things this brother and I have in common. It was quite a refreshing talk!

At the end of the lunch he told me "I am glad you were locked out from your place", and I agreed. God definitely was behind this one.

Do you remember love

I was hoping to get this post done by valentine's day, but I am like two weeks behind, oh well.

I finished recently an anime move series from Macross Frontier. Macross is a fairly famous anime series from a long time, probably not as big as Gundam, but still big. It is usually involves three things: battle aircrafts, excellent music, and a love triangle. The latest series Frontier has the best music soundtrack from the anime I have watched. The basic premise is that through cool aircrafts and crazy good music, humans can beat aliens. Yeah, not bad eh? Actually many of these songs resound in my head once in a while.

The theme song "Do you remember love" is from an older Macross series from the 80s, and I watched it when I was a little kid so it brings back good memories.

There is an episode from Frontier when some of the characters were exploring an abandoned spaceship, and they found a picture of a mom carrying her baby (ok, I don't remember the scene very well so I might be making up certain things). And at that moment the characters mentioned how humans always pursue love by forming a family, raising offspring, seeking their well-being and protection.

Though that seems basic, I enjoyed that scene. Because it made me think of how humans are. Statistically, most people will get married, form a family, and have kids. But where does this idea of marriage and building family came from? Some can argue that there is a natural desire to ensure the survival of the species, but I doubt that idea is in the mind of most people when they pursue their significant other. It really comes down to love. It is natural for a human being to want to be loved, and to want to love. After marriage, the result of this union of love will bring offspring who will receive great love from the parents who want the best for them. And this "cycle" continues. (Obviously, I am omitting the damages that sin can cause like abusive spouse, abusive parents, etc).

When I think of tracing back the root of why humans love, it is hard to say that this is a product of evolution (which is more about the survival of the fittest). And I believe that the origin of love is found in what I believe is the Creator of his universe and the maker of mankind. This God has existed before time, and has been experiencing immeasurable love (hence 1 John 4 talks about "God is love"), and He has made us in his own image (Genesis 1).  1 John also says that we love, because God loves us first. It is amazing that we want to love because God has made us like this, to reflect His glory.

So yeah, that's one reason why I think that marriage is one of the best ways to glorify God the most because the spouse's love for another get refined more and more, becoming more self-less, enduring through the the struggles of having two sinners together, and the result is a better version of love each day that will bring God more glory.

importance of the Trinity

Recently, the ministry I am part of (SWORD) led a discussion about the Trinity, why should Christians defend this doctrine?

I made a brief comment about the Trinity a while back. The doctrine of the Trinity is basically:

• God is one in essence
• God exists in three persons (Father, Son, Spirit)
• Each of these persons is fully and equally God.

There are many reasons why this doctrine is important, such as the divinity of Christ and to know that the God we worship is different from the "god" of other religions and cults. I want to shift gear, and share about how understanding the Trinity affect our lives as Christians. 

"And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him." - 1 John 4:16

We know that God is love, but what does this statement really means? Does it mean that God is the source of love, or that God has been loving since ever (since God is unchanging), or that God is that standard of what love is? If God is not Trinitarian, meaning that if God is only one person, then any of these statements won't make any sense because love is relational. Love requires more than one person, it is not just feeling but an act of the will. How can God be love if He is only one person in the very beginning? Did God created all angels and men so that He can be loving? If that is true then love is not an essential attribute of God.

The text of 1 John focus on love as one of the main attributes of God. Therefore, "God is love" only makes sense with the Trinity because each of the Persons in the Trinity is in constant love for one another. Tim Keller in his book "Reasons for God" says:

"The life of the Trinity is characterized not by self-centeredness but by mutually self-giving love. When we delight and serve someone else, we enter into a dynamic orbit around him or her, we center on the interests and desires of the other. That creates a dance, particularly if there are three persons, each of whom moves around the other two... Each voluntarily circles the other two, pouring love, delight, and adoration into them."

God made us so that He can share this love to us. And since God lives in us, we ought to love our fellow brothers and sisters to exemplify the Trinitarian love.

Here are more notes about the importance of the Trinity.