Last night was the first night of teaching self defense classes to a group of children at Point Township Church of the Nazarene. It was a fun experience and rewarding to share with kids about safety.
The complete course is available here. I wrote this curriculum several years ago as a way to outreach to Christian families and churches in our area. Not much came from it as most churches are too busy with other programs and many thought self defense is violent.
"Not sure that is the message we want to share as the church" said one pastor on the phone.
While I explained to him that as Christians and the church, our duty is to help prepare others to live in a world that is so corrupt and dangerous. We point them to Christ and in God's timing they will be saved. Do we leave them there? No. We continue to help them grow in Christ by teaching them, mentoring them and other programs of the church. That is the same purpose here. While yes we want our kids to reflect Christ's love for one another, at times you will face those who could care less.
It is a way for me to be the servant to stand in the gap for a brother or sister in need. How often do we see church members get together to pray for one another, donate food and time for a family in need, or willing to do some great project to help the community? A healthy church is doing these things.
My gifts are not for cooking, and I am just handy enough to slam my thumb with a hammer. God gave me the ability to learn and teach self defense. I can stand in the gap if and when somebody is being threatened. I can protect my family. But also I can live with being slighted, mocked, and even hit without bringing out a huge combo attack that could only be decisively appreciated by those who played mortal combat as a child. I am not like the bad martial arts flicks where I have to defend my name and honor at every turn to prove that I am the big man on the block. That isn't what Christ wants of us, nor of me.
Scary is the world we live in. I pray daily for the protection of my children when they are out in the world and away from my influence. Abduction statistics show that it is on the rise. Children being mistreated and abused is on the rise. If I can teach these children to love God, respect themselves and those around them, then I have done my job. If they learn to carry themselves knowing they are children of God and they have been trained to deal with what attacks may come their way, they will be much better for it.
The heart of what I teach can be found here:
The scripture I used came from the following:
There are "friends" who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother. ~ Proverbs 18:24, NLT
Jon Acuff had are really great post yesterday about "having two Gods"
Basically the premise being that we often thing of Jesus in two ways. One, the loving, forgiving and accepting Jesus prior to his crucifixion on the cross and the Jesus who judges and condemns us harshly after the cross.
The true picture is that Jesus hasn't changed. He does love and forgive us. All we have to do is ask. We should live a life of condemnation. We should live a life aimed toward being more like Christ. Since Jesus is the perfect friend, a friend who will stick closer to me than my own brother, what better friend could we have?
Friends are important and I teach that a true friend is valuable for self defense. Think of this... a kid is getting bullied. What would happen if the kid who is getting bullied was joined by two to three of his friends who were there to stand up for their friend?
Do you think the bullying would stop? I think so. Bullies are cowards, when faced with a group of people, they will turn and run. Just as David could walk in the valley of the shadow of death and fear no evil, so I hope that my kids can walk knowing that Jesus, their ultimate friend is there by their side.
Jeff Barnes
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