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Sunday, December 1, 2013

Bible Verse Sunday #52 and the Black Belt Extravaganza VII

Today's installment of Bible Verse Sunday is very important for three reasons. Firstly, because it's the first edition of Bible Verse Sunday we've had in a long time that's on time. Secondly, because it's the fifty-second installment of this feature, and 52 is a very important number, as you DC fans know (for those of you who don't know, 52 is the number of alternate realities there are in the DC Universe). Thirdly and finally, today is the day that I received my second degree black belt in taekwondo, at the Black Belt Extravaganza VII (BBE7)! But I'll get to that in due time. In the meantime, today's verse is Numbers 12:3:

"Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth."

The ESV Study Bible has this to say about the verse:

"very meek. The Hebrew term here is translated "meek" (Hb. 'anaw) is more often translated "humble, poor." The focus is more on Moses' attitude than on his demeanor. Some have argued that Moses could not have written in this way about himself, thereby challenging Moses' authorship of Numbers. It is clear, however, that the inclusion of this description of Moses' character is both accurate and necessary for understanding the account. On the face of the earth indicates that Moses was highly respected, certainly by Pharaoh and the people of Egypt, but also when he encountered other people during the 40 years in the wilderness (e.g., the defeat of the Amorites, 21:21-35; and Balaam and the dread of the moabites, chs. 22-24). ..."

I only attended the full first service today, as I had to leave early to participate in the BBE7. In the main service, we finished up our series in the book of Colossians by studying God's divine design on how the family should work, including master/slave relations. This last part is applicable in a study of how we should approach work. I'm not sure what the sermon in the High Schools service was about, as I had to leave just before it began in order to go to the BBE7. If anyone would care to fill me in, leave a comment!

Now, the Black Belt Extravaganza VII was a momentous occasion. It wasn't a perfect event, as my experiences backstage can attest. Despite rehearsing, Murphy's Law ("If anything can go wrong, it will.") proved true on a few occasions. There were several instances of we testers not knowing when to go on stage, and it took me several clumsy tries to break my boards. But let's not dwell on the bad! After all, so many things went right! The poomse were well executed, the kicks and punches were top notch, the foam sword fighting was well done, featuring yours truly, by the way. Even the demo done by the Shobukai Kenjutsu guys went well. The crowd loved it! There was also Nick who broke multiple bricks. Smashing! Then it was time for the awarding of the belts and certificates to the bodans and first dans, including me! My friends Theo and Nick also received their second dans, and Angela, Mario, Kenny, and many others received their first dans. It was a truly momentous occasion for me when I was summoned to read my paper "The Black Belt Way" to the crowd. If you want to read it, click here. Anyhow, at long last I am a second dan, and I eagerly look forward to my next challenge. I heartily congratulate all of the people who participated in the test, as testers and helpers, and I thank the audience for coming to see the event. I also thank the Carco Theatre for renting their facility out to us! Yay yay, LMA!

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