I remember my first introduction
00:00:27.16\00:00:28.86
to the martial arts.
00:00:28.89\00:00:31.19
I was only about
four or five years old
00:00:31.23\00:00:33.40
as I watched in amazement
00:00:33.43\00:00:35.00
as a little oriental man
00:00:35.03\00:00:36.77
perform seemingly impossible
feats of skill and power.
00:00:36.80\00:00:41.24
A seed was planted that day,
00:00:41.27\00:00:43.51
a seed which grew
silently within my heart
00:00:43.54\00:00:46.04
for the next 10
years of my young life.
00:00:46.07\00:00:49.44
I never forgot the exhibition
that I had seen that day
00:00:49.48\00:00:53.05
and I dreamed of the possibility
00:00:53.08\00:00:54.78
of doing those
things which I had watched
00:00:54.82\00:00:56.79
that little old Asian man
demonstrate with such ease.
00:00:56.82\00:01:01.36
But little did I realize
00:01:01.39\00:01:02.72
the darkness
into which this path
00:01:02.76\00:01:04.33
I was now following would lead,
00:01:04.36\00:01:06.76
nor the lives that
my decision that day
00:01:06.80\00:01:09.06
would influence
and forever change.
00:01:09.10\00:01:12.47
Today the martial arts
were looked upon as sport,
00:01:12.50\00:01:15.67
as self-defense,
00:01:15.70\00:01:17.24
health, and fitness,
00:01:17.27\00:01:18.87
and often as a form
of artistic expression,
00:01:18.91\00:01:22.04
but is this the
way it has always been?
00:01:22.08\00:01:24.85
Who are these men and women
00:01:24.88\00:01:26.58
who dedicate their
lives to these arts
00:01:26.61\00:01:29.15
and amaze onlookers
with their incredible feats
00:01:29.18\00:01:32.22
of almost
superhuman strength and speed?
00:01:32.25\00:01:35.56
How are these abilities attained
00:01:35.59\00:01:37.66
and from whence
comes the philosophies
00:01:37.69\00:01:40.00
and spiritual teachings
which permeate these practices?
00:01:40.03\00:01:44.07
Why do we see such
a growing influence
00:01:44.10\00:01:46.37
of eastern philosophy
and mystical practices
00:01:46.40\00:01:48.70
within the Christian church
00:01:48.74\00:01:50.27
over the last 10 years?
00:01:50.31\00:01:52.34
Are these practices focused
merely on athletic ability?
00:01:52.37\00:01:55.88
Or are they being
used to prepare mankind
00:01:55.91\00:01:58.48
for the coming
of a World Teacher
00:01:58.51\00:02:00.72
and a 1,000 years of peace?
00:02:00.75\00:02:04.02
Are these eastern mystical arts
00:02:04.05\00:02:05.92
based merely on
human talent and ability?
00:02:05.95\00:02:08.92
Or is there
something much darker
00:02:08.96\00:02:10.83
and more elusive
working behind the saints?
00:02:10.86\00:02:16.06
The first time that I
was exposed to martial arts,
00:02:16.10\00:02:19.30
I don't remember where I was,
00:02:19.33\00:02:20.97
but I remember I saw
something on television.
00:02:21.00\00:02:23.91
And it was a picture
of this little Chinese man
00:02:23.94\00:02:28.68
and he was demonstrating
martial arts ability.
00:02:28.71\00:02:32.71
And he took an egg
00:02:32.75\00:02:35.95
and set it on the ground
00:02:35.98\00:02:37.35
and stepped up on to the egg
00:02:37.39\00:02:40.42
and stood there.
00:02:40.46\00:02:41.79
And it was only
for, you know, 20 seconds
00:02:41.82\00:02:44.23
but he stood on that
egg and then he stepped off.
00:02:44.26\00:02:47.26
And I was a little child
00:02:47.30\00:02:49.13
that's always stayed in my mind,
00:02:49.16\00:02:50.67
you know, when I saw
that because I thought, "Wow,"
00:02:50.70\00:02:53.07
you know, that's
almost like a miracle,
00:02:53.10\00:02:55.00
you know, that he could do that.
00:02:55.04\00:02:56.64
When I was 12 years old
00:02:56.67\00:02:58.34
my parents went through a
separation and the divorce
00:02:58.37\00:03:01.78
and it devastated my life.
00:03:01.81\00:03:06.21
I became very
rebellious, I was angry,
00:03:06.25\00:03:09.08
you know, I know that
neither one of my parents
00:03:09.12\00:03:10.79
ever intended to hurt me
00:03:10.82\00:03:12.19
but I felt
abandoned, I felt rejected,
00:03:12.22\00:03:15.02
I felt like I
wasn't worth fighting for.
00:03:15.06\00:03:18.06
And during that time
00:03:18.09\00:03:21.23
I began really searching
for some purpose to life
00:03:21.26\00:03:24.77
for some reason to be a man,
00:03:24.80\00:03:28.30
I mean, what is the
reason for being here?
00:03:28.34\00:03:31.81
And I remember
talking to my mother one day
00:03:31.84\00:03:34.98
about possibly looking
for a martial arts school
00:03:35.01\00:03:38.08
because that memory
that I've seen that picture
00:03:38.11\00:03:41.08
always stayed in my mind.
00:03:41.12\00:03:44.45
And we found a school
00:03:44.49\00:03:45.82
downtown in the
city where I live.
00:03:45.85\00:03:49.02
And we went down
there one evening
00:03:49.06\00:03:51.53
after she got off work.
00:03:51.56\00:03:53.93
And I remember to
this day that walk,
00:03:53.96\00:03:57.23
we were walking down the street,
00:03:57.27\00:03:58.63
it's a downtown
rough part of the town.
00:03:58.67\00:04:02.27
And the dusk was coming in,
00:04:02.30\00:04:06.44
the only lights
were the streetlights
00:04:06.47\00:04:09.14
and they were
just beginning to glow.
00:04:09.18\00:04:12.51
And while we're
walking down there,
00:04:12.55\00:04:13.92
I mean, you can
see like the pool hall
00:04:13.95\00:04:15.48
they're turning
the lights on their.
00:04:15.52\00:04:16.85
The night life was
starting to awaken.
00:04:16.89\00:04:19.95
There is all these
old brick buildings
00:04:19.99\00:04:21.62
and warehouses.
00:04:21.66\00:04:24.06
And we're
walking down the sidewalk
00:04:24.09\00:04:25.46
and all the shops were closed,
00:04:25.49\00:04:26.83
all the little
mom and pop stores,
00:04:26.86\00:04:30.30
and we finally
came to this building
00:04:30.33\00:04:32.23
that's old brick building.
00:04:32.27\00:04:33.94
It was probably three stories,
maybe four stories tall.
00:04:33.97\00:04:37.17
And I remember when my
mom and I were walking up,
00:04:37.21\00:04:39.84
we're looking for this
door for a name of a school
00:04:39.87\00:04:42.61
and were expecting that to be,
00:04:42.64\00:04:44.11
you know, like it is today,
00:04:44.15\00:04:45.58
you know, this really
elaborate, nice, modern...
00:04:45.61\00:04:49.12
And we found
this little doorway,
00:04:49.15\00:04:51.12
I mean, it
wasn't even a full door,
00:04:51.15\00:04:53.29
a tiny little wooden door
00:04:53.32\00:04:55.22
and it had the name
of the dojo on the door.
00:04:55.26\00:04:58.49
So we opened the door up
00:04:58.53\00:05:00.26
and since we opened the door up,
00:05:00.30\00:05:01.63
we could look up,
and we could see a light
00:05:01.66\00:05:03.77
at the top of
the narrow staircase.
00:05:03.80\00:05:06.50
And my mom and I started
walking up that staircase
00:05:06.53\00:05:08.47
and as we're walking up
we could hear the shouts,
00:05:08.50\00:05:11.94
the "Hiyah,"
00:05:11.97\00:05:13.71
the students, you know, yelling.
00:05:13.74\00:05:15.44
We could hear, you
know, the instructor,
00:05:15.48\00:05:17.81
you know, commanding
the students what to do
00:05:17.85\00:05:20.52
and now I remember feeling
my heart begin to quicken.
00:05:20.55\00:05:25.69
And I was like,
"I'm finally here,"
00:05:25.72\00:05:27.42
you know,
something I've dreamed about,
00:05:27.46\00:05:29.32
you know, forever.
00:05:29.36\00:05:31.89
And we got to
the top of the steps
00:05:31.93\00:05:33.43
and we stepped into the studio.
00:05:33.46\00:05:36.10
And here's this
man in a white uniform
00:05:36.13\00:05:41.50
with this old black belt,
00:05:41.54\00:05:42.97
I mean, it was
just faded with age
00:05:43.00\00:05:46.47
and he is giving these
orders to these students.
00:05:46.51\00:05:48.64
And there was the
utmost feeling of respect,
00:05:48.68\00:05:51.78
I mean, all these students
are doing exactly what he says,
00:05:51.81\00:05:54.25
exactly when he says it.
00:05:54.28\00:05:55.95
And they're doing
these forms, these karates,
00:05:55.98\00:05:58.59
you know, punching and blocking
00:05:58.62\00:06:00.12
and the kicks and the yells.
00:06:00.16\00:06:04.23
And I remember trying
to take in the whole scene,
00:06:04.26\00:06:08.90
there's calligraphy, you
know, Japanese calligraphy,
00:06:08.93\00:06:11.30
an Okinawan
calligraphy on the walls.
00:06:11.33\00:06:13.80
And there's
pictures of old masters
00:06:13.84\00:06:16.44
and people that have died,
00:06:16.47\00:06:18.07
you know, the
founders of the art.
00:06:18.11\00:06:20.58
And we stayed there for
probably 35, 40 minutes,
00:06:20.61\00:06:24.48
you know, watching when
the instructor got a break,
00:06:24.51\00:06:26.98
he came back over to us
00:06:27.02\00:06:28.35
and he had started
talking with my mother and I.
00:06:28.38\00:06:30.42
I had to have my mom's approval,
00:06:30.45\00:06:32.19
you know, to do this.
00:06:32.22\00:06:34.69
And I remember the instructor,
00:06:34.72\00:06:37.26
you know, talking about
the classes and the schedule
00:06:37.29\00:06:39.63
and I was getting so excited
00:06:39.66\00:06:41.70
and then we got down to the
end of how much does it cost?
00:06:41.73\00:06:45.13
And this was back probably
'83, '82 somewhere in there.
00:06:45.17\00:06:51.07
And he tells us the price
00:06:51.11\00:06:54.71
and, you know, I
saw my mom's eyes
00:06:54.74\00:06:56.98
and I knew it was too much,
00:06:57.01\00:06:58.48
you know, because we were
very limited on her income
00:06:58.51\00:07:00.68
with my mom and
dad being separated.
00:07:00.72\00:07:03.72
And, you know, we thanked him,
00:07:03.75\00:07:07.16
told him we
would think about it,
00:07:07.19\00:07:08.52
and we walked out of the dojo,
00:07:08.56\00:07:10.76
we walked back down those steps.
00:07:10.79\00:07:12.13
I remember, as we were
walking down those steps
00:07:12.16\00:07:14.63
and I stepped
out on to the street,
00:07:14.66\00:07:17.70
it was like the wind had
been taken out of my sails.
00:07:17.73\00:07:19.87
I thought, you
know, here this dream was
00:07:19.90\00:07:21.50
and I thought this was it.
00:07:21.54\00:07:23.27
And now I knew there was
no way that we could do it
00:07:23.30\00:07:25.57
because the price
was just too much.
00:07:25.61\00:07:28.48
As my mom and I are
walking down the street
00:07:28.51\00:07:30.35
and I can sense
00:07:30.38\00:07:31.98
that my mother
felt uncomfortable,
00:07:32.01\00:07:34.48
not just about the price
00:07:34.52\00:07:35.85
but more importantly
she felt uncomfortable
00:07:35.88\00:07:37.69
about something in the dojo.
00:07:37.72\00:07:41.26
And even though I was so excited
00:07:41.29\00:07:44.33
about participating
and becoming part of this,
00:07:44.36\00:07:47.76
I had sensed the same thing
00:07:47.80\00:07:49.76
it was, I was
raised as a Christian,
00:07:49.80\00:07:53.23
you know, we went
to church every Sabbath
00:07:53.27\00:07:57.07
and yet there was something
about what we had witnessed
00:07:57.11\00:07:59.97
about the power,
00:08:00.01\00:08:02.78
and about the violence,
00:08:02.81\00:08:04.75
about the actions of the art,
00:08:04.78\00:08:07.92
they just didn't match.
00:08:07.95\00:08:09.28
And I couldn't
put my finger on it
00:08:09.32\00:08:10.65
and it didn't make me feel
good so I just dismissed it.
00:08:10.69\00:08:14.76
And I knew my mom
couldn't dismiss it.
00:08:14.79\00:08:18.73
So we went home that night
00:08:18.76\00:08:21.66
and I didn't ask
her what was on her mind
00:08:21.70\00:08:23.30
and she didn't
tell me but I knew.
00:08:23.33\00:08:24.97
A friend of mine,
00:08:31.81\00:08:33.51
their older
brother was there at lunch,
00:08:33.54\00:08:36.38
he was a junior or senior,
00:08:36.41\00:08:38.25
he's couple of
years ahead of me.
00:08:38.28\00:08:39.78
I was in high school
00:08:39.81\00:08:41.15
and he started telling
about this martial arts school
00:08:41.18\00:08:44.15
that he had found, a
kung fu school in the area
00:08:44.19\00:08:46.89
and he had been
training there for,
00:08:46.92\00:08:48.49
you know,
probably a year or two.
00:08:48.52\00:08:50.56
And he was talking about
it and I just I asked him,
00:08:50.59\00:08:51.93
I said, "How much does it cost?"
00:08:51.96\00:08:53.86
And he said, you
don't believe it,
00:08:53.90\00:08:55.60
he said, it's a dollar a night.
00:08:55.63\00:08:57.37
And I was like,
"You're serious?"
00:08:57.40\00:08:58.73
He said, "Yeah."
00:08:58.77\00:09:00.10
And I said, "What
kind of school is it?"
00:09:00.14\00:09:01.97
Because I was thinking
about my mom's apprehensions
00:09:02.00\00:09:04.44
and he told me he said,
"The guy is a Christian."
00:09:04.47\00:09:08.61
He said they will have
a Bible verse every night,
00:09:08.64\00:09:10.38
he said we train, we fight,
00:09:10.41\00:09:12.78
but it's a Christian school.
00:09:12.81\00:09:14.52
And it's a dollar
every time you come,
00:09:14.55\00:09:15.95
there's no contract.
00:09:15.98\00:09:18.02
And I was so excited,
00:09:18.05\00:09:21.26
it was like all of a sudden
my hopes and my dreams revived.
00:09:21.29\00:09:25.73
I went home and
told my mom about it
00:09:25.76\00:09:27.46
and she was excited,
00:09:27.50\00:09:29.96
so the following
week my best friend and I,
00:09:30.00\00:09:33.03
we decide to go
visit this school,
00:09:33.07\00:09:34.64
so we get to the
school that evening.
00:09:34.67\00:09:36.64
And I remember
walking in the door
00:09:36.67\00:09:38.37
and it was a very different
from the Okinawan school,
00:09:38.41\00:09:41.68
the karate dojo we'd went to.
00:09:41.71\00:09:43.71
When we walked in
00:09:43.75\00:09:45.08
this was a very,
very old building
00:09:45.11\00:09:46.51
single floor...
00:09:46.55\00:09:50.05
There were all these
pictures when I walked in
00:09:50.09\00:09:52.02
and I remember
walking past the wall
00:09:52.05\00:09:53.39
all these pictures
00:09:53.42\00:09:54.86
of the higher level
students in the school
00:09:54.89\00:09:56.93
from the past, you
know, 25 five years.
00:09:56.96\00:09:59.39
There was pictures of the
men that had made black belt.
00:09:59.43\00:10:01.93
There'd only been
three up to that point
00:10:01.96\00:10:04.50
in over 25 years.
00:10:04.53\00:10:07.34
Pictures of the instructor,
00:10:07.37\00:10:08.74
pictures of military background,
00:10:08.77\00:10:11.81
pictures of just all
these intriguing mystical,
00:10:11.84\00:10:17.61
you know, ideas,
thoughts of the martial arts.
00:10:17.65\00:10:21.22
So we got there
00:10:21.25\00:10:23.59
and I began training.
00:10:23.62\00:10:26.05
And this school was very unique,
00:10:26.09\00:10:27.69
they based rank on your ability.
00:10:27.72\00:10:31.83
And there were only four ranks,
00:10:31.86\00:10:34.70
you got white,
green, brown, and black,
00:10:34.73\00:10:36.83
and you could get
a stripe in between
00:10:36.87\00:10:39.53
which meant you're
just a little bit ahead
00:10:39.57\00:10:41.37
of the other guys.
00:10:41.40\00:10:43.27
But in the only way to
achieve rank was fighting
00:10:43.30\00:10:46.98
and we fought full contact,
00:10:47.01\00:10:48.68
you know, with boxing gloves
12, 14, 16, ounce boxing gloves
00:10:48.71\00:10:53.01
and we also fought
what's called empty hand
00:10:53.05\00:10:55.12
or open-hand.
00:10:55.15\00:10:56.48
The thing that
really intrigued me
00:10:56.52\00:10:57.85
the most about
this school was is...
00:10:57.89\00:10:59.72
Because it was a kung fu school
00:10:59.75\00:11:01.69
the fighting when
it was done open-hand
00:11:01.72\00:11:03.36
was based on what's
called animal styles.
00:11:03.39\00:11:05.83
So if someone
was a tiger stylist
00:11:05.86\00:11:08.30
and if they were good
00:11:08.33\00:11:09.66
when you watch them
spar or watch them fight,
00:11:09.70\00:11:12.67
you would see them mimicking,
00:11:12.70\00:11:14.47
you know, the motions of a tiger
00:11:14.50\00:11:15.97
with their hand positions,
00:11:16.00\00:11:17.51
with their
blocking, with their stances.
00:11:17.54\00:11:20.74
If someone was a snake style,
00:11:20.78\00:11:22.48
you would see the
heads of the snakes
00:11:22.51\00:11:25.01
or the heads of the cobra
00:11:25.05\00:11:26.38
as they were fighting,
you would see the techniques.
00:11:26.41\00:11:29.92
And then the instructor,
00:11:29.95\00:11:31.29
his primary style
00:11:31.32\00:11:32.65
although he taught all of them,
00:11:32.69\00:11:34.02
his primary style
was praying mantis
00:11:34.06\00:11:35.39
so when they would fight
00:11:35.42\00:11:36.76
you would see the hand positions
00:11:36.79\00:11:38.13
like the praying mantis.
00:11:38.16\00:11:39.49
And the mantis
was a close in style,
00:11:39.53\00:11:41.56
it drew its opponent in
and crush them on the inside.
00:11:41.60\00:11:45.17
And I was so overwhelmed,
00:11:45.20\00:11:48.24
you know, after that first night
00:11:48.27\00:11:49.67
of seeing all these things
00:11:49.70\00:11:51.47
and the guys, you know, kicking.
00:11:51.51\00:11:53.34
And I looked and I
thought, you know, that's power,
00:11:53.38\00:11:56.44
that's not just
power but control.
00:11:56.48\00:11:58.41
It's like my life
felt so out of control,
00:11:58.45\00:12:01.58
I felt like I didn't
have any control over anything
00:12:01.62\00:12:05.22
that was happening to me.
00:12:05.25\00:12:06.96
And this is what I wanted,
I thought that's what I want,
00:12:06.99\00:12:09.62
I want to be able to
control my circumstances,
00:12:09.66\00:12:11.69
I want to be confident,
00:12:11.73\00:12:13.60
I want to believe in myself,
00:12:13.63\00:12:15.60
I want to know
00:12:15.63\00:12:17.17
that whatever I set
my mind to do, I can do.
00:12:17.20\00:12:20.00
When we're there in
class, you could tell the order,
00:12:20.04\00:12:23.44
the hierarchy, if you will.
00:12:23.47\00:12:25.61
You know, the white
belts were the beginners
00:12:25.64\00:12:27.24
and they listen
to the green belts,
00:12:27.28\00:12:28.61
and green belts were
terrified of the brown belts,
00:12:28.64\00:12:30.75
the brown belts
00:12:30.78\00:12:32.11
didn't want anything to
do with the black belts.
00:12:32.15\00:12:33.75
And there was this
pecking order of authority.
00:12:33.78\00:12:39.02
The thing that intrigued
me or caught my attention
00:12:39.05\00:12:41.86
that I wanna make green belt
to desire that green belt was.
00:12:41.89\00:12:45.49
One night a week at 10 o'clock
00:12:45.53\00:12:47.33
after all the other
students had left the school
00:12:47.36\00:12:49.90
those that had made green belt
00:12:49.93\00:12:51.60
were allowed to
come in to the school
00:12:51.63\00:12:53.34
and they would shut the
door on the training room.
00:12:53.37\00:12:56.20
And they got private instruction
00:12:56.24\00:12:57.91
from the "Sifu, the teacher."
00:12:57.94\00:13:01.04
And no one was allowed to
see or to talk about what was,
00:13:01.08\00:13:04.35
you know, taught in there,
00:13:04.38\00:13:06.11
so it was like immediately
00:13:06.15\00:13:07.48
it's like what's
behind the curtain,
00:13:07.52\00:13:08.85
I mean, I want that
00:13:08.88\00:13:10.22
and you saw the
green belts their ability,
00:13:10.25\00:13:11.65
and you saw what they could do.
00:13:11.69\00:13:14.19
So you wanted to
have that ability
00:13:14.22\00:13:16.19
and you realize the only
way that they had that ability
00:13:16.22\00:13:18.29
was because of that special
training they were getting,
00:13:18.33\00:13:20.90
you know, behind closed doors.
00:13:20.93\00:13:23.57
Well, after I
made to green belt,
00:13:23.60\00:13:25.47
you know, I got to
go into that first class
00:13:25.50\00:13:27.17
and I remember there was
sort of a basic initiation
00:13:27.20\00:13:31.77
when you stepped into the class,
00:13:31.81\00:13:33.14
into that high rank class,
00:13:33.17\00:13:34.81
you lie down on
your back on the floor,
00:13:34.84\00:13:37.91
they raised your shirt up,
00:13:37.95\00:13:39.28
and every single one of
them would get two slabs
00:13:39.31\00:13:42.08
with an open palm on your belly
00:13:42.12\00:13:44.05
as hard as they felt
you were able to handle.
00:13:44.09\00:13:47.19
And nobody was...
00:13:47.22\00:13:49.32
nobody was gonna
get seriously injured
00:13:49.36\00:13:51.93
but I can remember I
had marks on my stomach
00:13:51.96\00:13:53.80
for, you know,
four, five days afterward.
00:13:53.83\00:13:56.30
I mean, it would
bring blood to the surface,
00:13:56.33\00:13:59.20
but then you felt like
you're part of something
00:13:59.23\00:14:00.90
like you had earned it.
00:14:00.94\00:14:03.74
So I stayed there and I trained
for approximately two years.
00:14:03.77\00:14:07.81
We had Bible verse each night,
00:14:07.84\00:14:09.38
you know, they were people
00:14:09.41\00:14:10.75
that gave their
hearts to the Lord,
00:14:10.78\00:14:12.11
made professions of faith.
00:14:12.15\00:14:15.15
But then I got to where I
was graduating high school
00:14:15.18\00:14:18.55
and my dad offered to
put me through college,
00:14:18.59\00:14:21.52
he said, "Eric, if you
move down here with me,
00:14:21.56\00:14:23.26
you know, outside Chattanooga,"
00:14:23.29\00:14:24.63
he said, "I'll
pay for your college."
00:14:24.66\00:14:27.10
So I moved,
00:14:27.13\00:14:28.46
I hated to leave that school
because it meant so much to me
00:14:28.50\00:14:31.20
but that was only
school I'd ever trained in,
00:14:31.23\00:14:33.20
I didn't know there was
anything else out there.
00:14:33.23\00:14:35.70
And we were told that,
you know, we're number one,
00:14:35.74\00:14:38.51
this is the best school,
00:14:38.54\00:14:39.87
there's no other
styles that do it like we do.
00:14:39.91\00:14:42.48
And I thought, well,
this will give me a chance
00:14:42.51\00:14:44.11
to find out if that's true.
00:14:44.15\00:14:46.08
So when I moved down
to Cleveland, Tennessee
00:14:46.11\00:14:49.62
right outside Collegedale,
00:14:49.65\00:14:52.89
I started looking for a school.
00:14:52.92\00:14:54.26
Went through the phone book
00:14:54.29\00:14:55.89
and you can open
the phone book up
00:14:55.92\00:14:57.26
and there's all
these advertisements,
00:14:57.29\00:14:58.99
you know, the bigger the town
is the more schools there are,
00:14:59.03\00:15:01.60
the more dojos and studios.
00:15:01.63\00:15:04.40
And, you know, some of
them would list at the top,
00:15:04.43\00:15:07.00
you know, the
instructor this is how many,
00:15:07.04\00:15:09.40
you know,
degrees of a black belt
00:15:09.44\00:15:11.17
he has, he's a fifth dan,
he's a sixth dan, you know.
00:15:11.21\00:15:13.88
And you look at those, you go,
00:15:13.91\00:15:15.24
well, this guy's
got a lot of experience.
00:15:15.28\00:15:17.71
And then they would
list the different styles
00:15:17.75\00:15:19.98
or arts that they would teach
00:15:20.02\00:15:22.18
and almost all of them said,
00:15:22.22\00:15:23.92
you know,
self-defense, self-confidence,
00:15:23.95\00:15:26.45
self-esteem so it really...
00:15:26.49\00:15:30.16
They lured you in,
00:15:30.19\00:15:31.53
they knew what
people were lacking.
00:15:31.56\00:15:34.60
I look back now,
00:15:34.63\00:15:36.33
you know, after my conversion
00:15:36.36\00:15:37.73
and I realized
00:15:37.77\00:15:39.10
that all of those
things that they offer
00:15:39.13\00:15:41.64
can truly only be
found in Jesus Christ,
00:15:41.67\00:15:45.94
it can only be found
00:15:45.97\00:15:47.31
in absolute faith
in the Word of God.
00:15:47.34\00:15:50.71
But I wasn't
there at that point.
00:15:50.75\00:15:53.78
I'd walked away from the church,
00:15:53.82\00:15:55.15
walked away from God
00:15:55.18\00:15:56.79
when I was 14 years old,
00:15:56.82\00:15:58.95
I got tired,
00:15:58.99\00:16:00.59
I said, "You know,
there's no power in this,
00:16:00.62\00:16:02.49
I go to church every week,
00:16:02.52\00:16:03.86
I'm hearing the same
verses over and over again,
00:16:03.89\00:16:07.33
but it didn't changed my life."
00:16:07.36\00:16:08.73
You know, I went to
church and I heard sermons
00:16:08.76\00:16:11.13
but it didn't help me
deal with the problems
00:16:11.17\00:16:12.73
I was having with, you
know, girls and with lust
00:16:12.77\00:16:15.60
or it didn't help me
with the problems with,
00:16:15.64\00:16:17.34
you know, the guys at school
00:16:17.37\00:16:18.81
that were threatening me
00:16:18.84\00:16:20.18
or, you know, the bullies.
00:16:20.21\00:16:21.84
So in my mind I thought,
00:16:21.88\00:16:23.71
you know, churches
must be a good idea
00:16:23.75\00:16:26.28
but it's not helping me in
my practical everyday life.
00:16:26.31\00:16:29.75
I can do something else.
00:16:29.78\00:16:32.29
So in a very subtle way,
00:16:32.32\00:16:34.36
the enemy was moving me
from one religion into another.
00:16:34.39\00:16:38.39
I began to look
for those answers
00:16:38.43\00:16:40.73
in martial arts
00:16:40.76\00:16:42.10
that I wasn't
finding in the church.
00:16:42.13\00:16:44.37
And unfortunately,
00:16:44.40\00:16:47.84
the answers were there,
00:16:47.87\00:16:49.20
I mean, I felt like
I was getting control,
00:16:49.24\00:16:52.24
I wasn't afraid of
the bullies anymore,
00:16:52.27\00:16:54.71
I became very adamant.
00:16:54.74\00:16:57.98
My mouth
sometimes would get ahead
00:16:58.01\00:16:59.98
of what my body was able to do
00:17:00.02\00:17:01.72
but there was a pride
00:17:01.75\00:17:04.35
that was growing
within me about the abilities
00:17:04.39\00:17:07.16
that I was learning
in the martial arts.
00:17:07.19\00:17:11.43
I went to a couple of schools
while I was there in Cleveland,
00:17:11.46\00:17:14.20
the first one
when I was at college
00:17:14.23\00:17:15.70
was an Asian root school.
00:17:15.73\00:17:17.47
And I trained with them
for two and a half years
00:17:17.50\00:17:19.30
while I was there in college
00:17:19.33\00:17:22.04
so I heard about a place,
00:17:22.07\00:17:24.21
a class that was
held at the YMCA.
00:17:24.24\00:17:26.17
My dad told me, he
said, "Eric, try the YMCA."
00:17:26.21\00:17:28.71
I thought, "Dad, I mean,
there's no meaning at the YMCA.
00:17:28.74\00:17:30.91
I mean, that's like kid stuff."
00:17:30.95\00:17:32.88
So I went to the YMCA one night
00:17:32.91\00:17:35.35
and I walked into a class
00:17:35.38\00:17:37.32
that's known as
Burmese bando or bando boxing.
00:17:37.35\00:17:41.52
And it's from Burma
00:17:41.56\00:17:44.16
and they had a great influx
00:17:44.19\00:17:45.86
of the influence
from the Chinese above
00:17:45.89\00:17:48.43
and from the
Okinawans and the Japanese
00:17:48.46\00:17:50.57
so it was like there was a
mesh of these oriental ideas
00:17:50.60\00:17:54.30
when it came to combative arts.
00:17:54.34\00:17:57.51
They believe very
heavily in full contact,
00:17:57.54\00:17:59.67
they did boxing,
they did empty hands,
00:17:59.71\00:18:02.24
and they did animal styles.
00:18:02.28\00:18:03.61
Although they
were different animals
00:18:03.65\00:18:04.98
than what I was
used to with the kung fu,
00:18:05.01\00:18:07.02
it was similar,
it's very easy to adapt.
00:18:07.05\00:18:10.29
I trained with
them for five years
00:18:10.32\00:18:13.19
before I made
black belt in that style.
00:18:13.22\00:18:15.52
And during that time
00:18:15.56\00:18:17.66
we went to a national
kickboxing tournament,
00:18:17.69\00:18:20.63
it's probably the biggest event
00:18:20.66\00:18:22.00
that I'd ever been
through personally.
00:18:22.03\00:18:23.73
There were
hundreds of people there
00:18:23.77\00:18:25.13
and I remember I
was a nervous wreck,
00:18:25.17\00:18:26.87
you know,
because I've never fought
00:18:26.90\00:18:28.24
in front of that many people
00:18:28.27\00:18:29.60
and they got spotlights on you
00:18:29.64\00:18:30.97
and as just, you know, it
was really nerve wracking.
00:18:31.01\00:18:34.31
But then when you get out there,
00:18:34.34\00:18:35.68
and I remember
stepping into the ring
00:18:35.71\00:18:37.75
and I was looking
around at all these people
00:18:37.78\00:18:39.71
that were around me
00:18:39.75\00:18:41.08
and they got card
girl walking around,
00:18:41.12\00:18:43.28
you know, in a bathing
suit holding up a number.
00:18:43.32\00:18:45.39
And I'm
thinking, "Is this real?"
00:18:45.42\00:18:48.02
And, you know, there was
butterflies in my stomach,
00:18:48.06\00:18:50.09
you know, how am I gonna do,
00:18:50.13\00:18:51.46
you know, all these
people are watching.
00:18:51.49\00:18:53.29
And then the
other guy, my opponent,
00:18:53.33\00:18:55.03
climbed in the
ring on the other side,
00:18:55.06\00:18:57.17
and when I looked at him,
00:18:57.20\00:18:58.53
and our eyes met
everything else was gone.
00:18:58.57\00:19:01.70
It was like I didn't
see anybody any more,
00:19:01.74\00:19:04.21
I didn't hear
anything, the crowd was gone,
00:19:04.24\00:19:06.91
all that mattered was the battle
00:19:06.94\00:19:08.81
that was in front of me.
00:19:08.84\00:19:10.18
When I look back
at that at that fight
00:19:12.95\00:19:14.98
it really changed me
00:19:15.02\00:19:16.72
and when I came back,
00:19:16.75\00:19:18.09
I mean, there was
a newspaper write up
00:19:18.12\00:19:19.52
about me and the
other team members
00:19:19.55\00:19:21.96
from our martial arts studio
00:19:21.99\00:19:24.43
that had made,
00:19:24.46\00:19:25.79
you know, the grade
that it had achieved
00:19:25.83\00:19:28.50
and pride was
built a little bit more.
00:19:28.53\00:19:32.80
After five
years of hard training
00:19:32.83\00:19:34.57
in the Burmese style of bando
00:19:34.60\00:19:36.64
I achieved black belt,
00:19:36.67\00:19:38.41
and my instructors encouraged me
00:19:38.44\00:19:40.04
to begin teaching
the art to others,
00:19:40.08\00:19:42.54
but there was something missing,
00:19:42.58\00:19:44.48
something of which
I had not attained.
00:19:44.51\00:19:47.52
And shortly thereafter,
00:19:47.55\00:19:49.22
I decided to
return to my first school,
00:19:49.25\00:19:51.99
for I wanted to
test my skills now
00:19:52.02\00:19:54.29
in the place where I had begun.
00:19:54.32\00:19:56.69
But little did I realize
00:19:56.73\00:19:58.06
the spirit that was
influencing my decision
00:19:58.09\00:20:01.00
nor the darkness
00:20:01.03\00:20:02.36
into which this
path I was on now led.
00:20:02.40\00:20:05.03
During this time
00:20:05.07\00:20:06.40
I saw the fourth man in
the history of our school
00:20:06.43\00:20:08.80
achieve black belt.
00:20:08.84\00:20:10.44
It was the first
ceremony of this type
00:20:10.47\00:20:12.54
I had ever before witness,
00:20:12.57\00:20:14.61
and event which
inspired me with awe.
00:20:14.64\00:20:17.61
So when I came back to the art,
00:20:17.65\00:20:19.81
you know, I started back
where I was as a green belt
00:20:19.85\00:20:22.48
and within six months
I made it advanced green,
00:20:22.52\00:20:25.79
you know, within
another year and a half
00:20:25.82\00:20:27.46
I'd made brown belt.
00:20:27.49\00:20:29.22
And the instructor knew
00:20:29.26\00:20:31.49
that I wanted to
be able to teach,
00:20:31.53\00:20:34.36
I wanted a black
belt in this style.
00:20:34.40\00:20:36.87
During that time I got to see
00:20:36.90\00:20:38.23
that advanced brown
belt make black belt.
00:20:38.27\00:20:40.87
And it was the first ceremony
00:20:40.90\00:20:42.27
that I'd ever been to like that.
00:20:42.30\00:20:45.51
Candles and it was very intense.
00:20:45.54\00:20:48.98
And I remember the
instructor looking at me
00:20:49.01\00:20:51.45
as this other man
was being promoted
00:20:51.48\00:20:54.05
and I knew that's
gonna be me one day
00:20:54.08\00:20:55.75
I'm gonna make black belt here.
00:20:55.78\00:20:58.39
In 1999, I was the fifth person
00:20:58.42\00:21:00.99
to make black
belt in that school.
00:21:01.02\00:21:02.82
Fifth person in almost 30 years
00:21:02.86\00:21:05.43
and it took me 14
years of training to do that.
00:21:05.46\00:21:10.17
You know, while I was
training in these arts,
00:21:10.20\00:21:13.47
most of that
intense internal training
00:21:13.50\00:21:16.60
came in the high rank
class last behind closed doors.
00:21:16.64\00:21:19.64
When we trained in that class,
00:21:19.67\00:21:21.98
there was an idea
that was introduced to us
00:21:22.01\00:21:24.55
and that was the idea
of something called "Chi".
00:21:24.58\00:21:27.68
Now that term is thrown
around even on sitcoms today,
00:21:27.72\00:21:30.52
it's everywhere,
it's in health magazines,
00:21:30.55\00:21:32.79
it's in dentist offices.
00:21:32.82\00:21:34.52
But back in the
'80s and the '90s
00:21:34.56\00:21:37.49
this was not
something that was thrown around
00:21:37.53\00:21:40.03
to just everybody.
00:21:40.06\00:21:41.86
And the way that
it was described to us
00:21:41.90\00:21:43.97
by our instructor
00:21:44.00\00:21:45.33
was this chi is something
that God put within man,
00:21:45.37\00:21:49.90
it's internal strength,
00:21:49.94\00:21:51.84
it's something
that you have to learn
00:21:51.87\00:21:53.21
to pull from within you,
00:21:53.24\00:21:55.04
and to focus it
into your techniques,
00:21:55.08\00:21:57.78
whether that be kicking a bag,
00:21:57.81\00:21:59.15
or punching somebody,
00:21:59.18\00:22:00.52
or being able to do 200
pushups without stopping.
00:22:00.55\00:22:03.55
You had to take the strength
from within and draw it up
00:22:03.59\00:22:07.26
and put it into
whatever you were gonna do.
00:22:07.29\00:22:09.86
And that I knew
this is what we need,
00:22:09.89\00:22:13.63
this is the key to
why those brown belts
00:22:13.66\00:22:16.36
and those advanced brown belts
00:22:16.40\00:22:17.73
and black belts can do
the things that they do.
00:22:17.77\00:22:20.14
And we see nowadays,
00:22:20.17\00:22:21.50
you know, in films,
00:22:21.54\00:22:23.20
Hollywood films as
well as documentaries,
00:22:23.24\00:22:25.97
you see men breaking huge,
00:22:26.01\00:22:27.84
you know,
500-pound blocks of ice,
00:22:27.88\00:22:29.98
or breaking solid timber,
00:22:30.01\00:22:31.71
you know, boards,
00:22:31.75\00:22:33.08
not these little pine boards
00:22:33.11\00:22:34.45
with pencils
inserted between them
00:22:34.48\00:22:36.38
but real things.
00:22:36.42\00:22:38.05
So we asked about, you
know, how do we learn this
00:22:38.09\00:22:40.86
and I can remember
the instructor telling us,
00:22:40.89\00:22:42.82
as advanced green belt
00:22:42.86\00:22:44.46
he said, "This type of training
is reserved for black belt."
00:22:44.49\00:22:49.40
He said, "I can
show you pieces of it,
00:22:49.43\00:22:51.73
how to get you ready for that,
00:22:51.77\00:22:53.74
but you won't really learn
00:22:53.77\00:22:55.24
about how to tap into
the chi, until after black."
00:22:55.27\00:22:59.41
But one of the
things that we did
00:22:59.44\00:23:00.88
that helped us to
bring this power up
00:23:00.91\00:23:04.55
from within us was...
It's called pain class.
00:23:04.58\00:23:07.85
And I remember the
first night that we did this,
00:23:07.88\00:23:09.62
the instructor had been
warming us up to this idea
00:23:09.65\00:23:12.52
as students for
a couple of weeks,
00:23:12.55\00:23:15.29
but we got there
00:23:15.32\00:23:16.66
and I would face
off with my partner.
00:23:16.69\00:23:19.76
You pick somebody
that was equal rank as you.
00:23:19.79\00:23:22.80
We started off with
smacking each other in the face,
00:23:22.83\00:23:26.47
and he would smack
me and I would smack him
00:23:26.50\00:23:29.57
and it start off
with something like that
00:23:29.60\00:23:32.84
and it increased,
each smack was harder.
00:23:32.87\00:23:36.34
So he'd smack me a little harder
00:23:36.38\00:23:38.08
and I would smack
him a little harder
00:23:38.11\00:23:39.51
and you're
looking at each other,
00:23:39.55\00:23:40.88
staring each
other right in the eyes,
00:23:40.92\00:23:42.48
and it was harder and harder
00:23:42.52\00:23:43.85
and this went on
for five minutes,
00:23:43.89\00:23:45.72
until you keep getting harder.
00:23:45.75\00:23:47.79
And you could
see the green belts
00:23:47.82\00:23:49.32
that were nervous,
00:23:49.36\00:23:50.69
they were taking
it easy on one another
00:23:50.73\00:23:52.06
and then you
see the brown belts,
00:23:52.09\00:23:53.43
well, they were, I mean,
just hitting each other hard
00:23:53.46\00:23:55.93
with an open palm.
00:23:55.96\00:23:57.43
And they were feeding off
of one another's aggression
00:23:57.47\00:24:00.07
almost like sharks.
00:24:00.10\00:24:01.84
And so we would do the face,
and then we would do the arms,
00:24:01.87\00:24:05.47
and then we would do the legs,
00:24:05.51\00:24:07.01
and then we would
bring out a board.
00:24:07.04\00:24:09.44
And usually it was a
one inch solid oak board
00:24:09.48\00:24:13.82
or hickory board.
00:24:13.85\00:24:15.28
And you would stand
there, intense up your body,
00:24:15.32\00:24:18.19
and allow them to
strike in the stomach.
00:24:18.22\00:24:19.92
And you had to
channel your breathing
00:24:19.95\00:24:22.29
so when you're being hit,
00:24:22.32\00:24:23.66
you breathe out in very intense.
00:24:23.69\00:24:26.86
And our instructor told us
that this was the first step
00:24:26.90\00:24:29.70
in learning how to tap
into that internal strength
00:24:29.73\00:24:34.14
that was
supposedly inside of us.
00:24:34.17\00:24:36.30
Something that
happened that night
00:24:36.34\00:24:37.67
that really intrigued me
00:24:37.71\00:24:39.04
and I look back now
00:24:39.07\00:24:40.41
and I understand it
more than I did then.
00:24:40.44\00:24:42.64
He did not allow us to
fight after we did that class.
00:24:42.68\00:24:46.38
In normal we always
fought after high rank class,
00:24:46.41\00:24:48.85
there was no fighting allowed.
00:24:48.88\00:24:50.69
And years later I
asked him about that
00:24:50.72\00:24:52.45
and he said,
"Because you're too keyed up
00:24:52.49\00:24:55.52
after going through
that, you'd hurt each other."
00:24:55.56\00:24:58.13
He said, "You
wouldn't hold back."
00:24:58.16\00:25:01.50
So that struck in my mind.
00:25:01.53\00:25:04.67
In the martial arts
00:25:04.70\00:25:06.03
there's a
division between styles,
00:25:06.07\00:25:07.54
some styles
were called internal,
00:25:07.57\00:25:09.04
some styles were
called external styles.
00:25:09.07\00:25:11.77
The external styles
are styles that focus
00:25:11.81\00:25:14.94
on really
developing the physical body,
00:25:14.98\00:25:17.91
while the internal style
00:25:17.95\00:25:19.28
is focused almost
intensely on breathing,
00:25:19.31\00:25:22.35
being able to tap into the chi,
into this internal strength.
00:25:22.38\00:25:27.06
Within those styles,
00:25:27.09\00:25:28.69
the Japanese have a
term it's called Bushido,
00:25:28.72\00:25:31.89
and all martial arts is
based on that term "Bushido,"
00:25:31.93\00:25:36.36
it means the way of the
warrior or the warrior spirit.
00:25:36.40\00:25:40.20
It's telling you
right off the bat
00:25:40.24\00:25:42.07
it's telling you,
00:25:42.10\00:25:43.44
this is what we're training
to become, to become warriors.
00:25:43.47\00:25:46.78
Oh, it's not warriors for God,
00:25:46.81\00:25:48.48
for Jehovah, it's
warriors of the flesh.
00:25:48.51\00:25:52.45
Satan delights in war,
00:25:52.48\00:25:54.68
for it excites the
worst passions of the soul
00:25:54.72\00:25:57.65
and then sweeps into eternity
00:25:57.69\00:25:59.25
its victims
steeped in vice and blood.
00:25:59.29\00:26:02.69
It is his object
00:26:02.72\00:26:04.06
to incite the nations
to war against one another,
00:26:04.09\00:26:07.23
for he can thus divert
the minds of the people
00:26:07.26\00:26:10.00
from the work of preparation
to stand in the day of God.
00:26:10.03\00:26:14.17
Within Christian circles
00:26:14.20\00:26:16.94
many times
Christians will ask questions.
00:26:16.97\00:26:21.08
What's wrong with
learning how to defend oneself?
00:26:21.11\00:26:24.35
Is there something
wrong with our military?
00:26:24.38\00:26:26.25
What about our military?
00:26:26.28\00:26:28.12
What's wrong with them knowing
how to defend our country?
00:26:28.15\00:26:30.65
What about law enforcement?
00:26:30.69\00:26:32.02
We have many people
00:26:32.05\00:26:33.39
that, you know,
contact our ministry and say,
00:26:33.42\00:26:34.92
"You know, what
about the police officers,"
00:26:34.96\00:26:36.52
what if they
didn't learn how to fight,
00:26:36.56\00:26:37.89
you know, where would we be?
00:26:37.93\00:26:39.73
There's a
distinct difference though
00:26:39.76\00:26:41.43
between military training
00:26:41.46\00:26:46.53
and defending the helpless
00:26:46.57\00:26:48.97
than what is
taught in martial arts.
00:26:49.00\00:26:52.07
We've only seen
military in our country
00:26:52.11\00:26:55.11
since the 1950s being
introduced into martial arts.
00:26:55.14\00:26:59.25
Since the
founding of this country
00:26:59.28\00:27:00.72
we've had warriors,
00:27:00.75\00:27:02.18
we have armies,
00:27:02.22\00:27:03.72
and these armies
never were trained
00:27:03.75\00:27:05.19
in eastern mystical
combative techniques
00:27:05.22\00:27:07.29
or spiritual techniques.
00:27:07.32\00:27:09.09
Only since the
1950s after World War II
00:27:09.12\00:27:12.96
was the martial arts
brought back with our soldiers.
00:27:12.99\00:27:16.16
Many of them when they
were stationed in the war
00:27:16.20\00:27:18.83
in Okinawa,
00:27:18.87\00:27:20.20
they picked up the
idea of the martial arts.
00:27:20.24\00:27:23.10
They saw men
00:27:23.14\00:27:24.47
that, you know, traditionally
are smaller in stature,
00:27:24.51\00:27:27.98
smaller in build,
00:27:28.01\00:27:29.61
they saw these
little oriental man
00:27:29.64\00:27:31.41
able to do seemingly impossible
00:27:31.45\00:27:33.62
or superhuman feats
of strength and speed.
00:27:33.65\00:27:37.42
So when they saw this
00:27:37.45\00:27:38.79
and they brought
it back with them,
00:27:38.82\00:27:40.72
we started seeing an
influx of Asian masters,
00:27:40.76\00:27:44.63
and first it was the
Japanese and the Okinawans
00:27:44.66\00:27:47.56
teaching judo and jujitsu,
00:27:47.60\00:27:50.37
and then it began to
develop farther in the '60s
00:27:50.40\00:27:53.47
we started getting more
of the eastern mysticism
00:27:53.50\00:27:56.47
with yoga and
the hippie movement.
00:27:56.50\00:27:59.31
All along that timeline
00:27:59.34\00:28:01.41
while these arts,
these mystical ideas
00:28:01.44\00:28:04.18
and philosophies are
being brought into our country,
00:28:04.21\00:28:06.65
the media is picking up
and running rampant with it.
00:28:06.68\00:28:09.98
We're seeing
martial arts movies,
00:28:10.02\00:28:11.59
you know, I
remember, you know, Bruce Lee,
00:28:11.62\00:28:13.42
Enter The Dragon,
00:28:13.46\00:28:14.79
that was like the
greatest martial arts movie
00:28:14.82\00:28:16.16
that anyone had ever seen,
00:28:16.19\00:28:17.99
we had The Green Hornet,
00:28:18.03\00:28:19.53
we had David
Carradine with kung fu.
00:28:19.56\00:28:22.03
And as we progressed
through the '70s and the '80s
00:28:22.06\00:28:25.03
we had Chuck Norris movies.
00:28:25.07\00:28:26.77
So these heroes were
being put before the minds
00:28:26.80\00:28:30.54
of our families
and our children.
00:28:30.57\00:28:32.47
Even traditional
fundamental Christianity
00:28:32.51\00:28:35.04
was now looking at
what was once considered
00:28:35.08\00:28:37.91
esoteric and occult power
00:28:37.95\00:28:40.42
as, is this physical?
00:28:40.45\00:28:42.78
Is this a physical thing
00:28:42.82\00:28:44.42
that we've just not
learned how to tap into yet?
00:28:44.45\00:28:47.49
So with those movies,
I mean, I was intrigued,
00:28:47.52\00:28:50.56
I mean, because we could
do these things in real life.
00:28:50.59\00:28:53.16
We always went to
the movies to see,
00:28:53.19\00:28:54.96
you know, how
they were portraying,
00:28:55.00\00:28:56.87
you know, the arts
we were practicing.
00:28:56.90\00:28:58.97
There was one man in particular
00:28:59.00\00:29:01.37
that really set the stage
for modern day martial arts,
00:29:01.40\00:29:04.44
his name was Gichin Funakoshi.
00:29:04.47\00:29:07.14
This man was one of the founders
00:29:07.18\00:29:09.81
and fathers of
modern day karate.
00:29:09.84\00:29:12.05
And I remember
seeing his quote in books,
00:29:12.08\00:29:15.02
on dojo walls,
00:29:15.05\00:29:16.79
and often times when
parents take their students
00:29:16.82\00:29:19.15
Johnny and Susie in
to sign up for karate,
00:29:19.19\00:29:22.29
this quote is the
one that wins them.
00:29:22.32\00:29:24.79
Funakoshi said something,
00:29:24.83\00:29:26.16
he said, "Martial arts is
not about winning or losing.
00:29:26.19\00:29:30.03
It's not about competing
and defeating your enemy.
00:29:30.07\00:29:32.97
It's about
perfection of the character
00:29:33.00\00:29:35.84
of its participants."
00:29:35.87\00:29:37.77
And when you hear
that it makes you feel,
00:29:37.81\00:29:40.44
"Wow, that's what I
want for my children,
00:29:40.48\00:29:42.11
I want to
perfect their character,
00:29:42.14\00:29:43.48
I want them to
be self-motivated,
00:29:43.51\00:29:45.58
self-disciplined, self-control,
00:29:45.61\00:29:47.82
I want them to
have self-esteem,"
00:29:47.85\00:29:49.78
as I do for my children.
00:29:49.82\00:29:51.82
What they don't realize
00:29:51.85\00:29:53.19
and what most of the instructors
00:29:53.22\00:29:54.56
won't show you
00:29:54.59\00:29:55.92
is the cover of his book,
00:29:55.96\00:29:57.29
his master's
textbook on the martial arts
00:29:57.33\00:29:59.86
and when you see
the cover of that book
00:29:59.89\00:30:01.80
and the image that is on there,
00:30:01.83\00:30:04.07
you begin to
realize the character
00:30:04.10\00:30:05.83
that is actually being
developed in the martial arts,
00:30:05.87\00:30:08.37
the war character.
00:30:08.40\00:30:10.41
A few years ago
00:30:10.44\00:30:11.77
when I was
looking at that image,
00:30:11.81\00:30:13.14
I thought, "Where
did this come from?"
00:30:13.17\00:30:14.71
I mean you don't
just pick an image
00:30:14.74\00:30:16.18
that looks blatantly demonic,
00:30:16.21\00:30:18.71
an image of rage
and power for no reason.
00:30:18.75\00:30:23.12
And as I
researched I found that image,
00:30:23.15\00:30:26.12
it was an image of one
of the 12 Asian zodiac gods.
00:30:26.15\00:30:30.73
So it was this image
that was being portrayed
00:30:30.76\00:30:33.29
through the punching,
the kicking, the fighting,
00:30:33.33\00:30:36.26
continually
training in the art of war.
00:30:36.30\00:30:39.53
Martial arts
means the art of war,
00:30:39.57\00:30:42.50
martial art.
00:30:42.54\00:30:44.34
So is this the character
00:30:44.37\00:30:45.97
that we wanna
develop in our children
00:30:46.01\00:30:47.58
and in our own lives.
00:30:47.61\00:30:49.51
I remember as I was training,
00:30:49.54\00:30:51.81
when I was growing close
00:30:51.85\00:30:53.18
to making black belt a first dan
00:30:53.21\00:30:55.28
in kung fu
00:30:55.32\00:30:57.25
or a black sash as
the Chinese would say.
00:30:57.29\00:31:01.12
I was fighting with
my greatest competitor
00:31:01.16\00:31:03.83
he was another
advanced brown belt
00:31:03.86\00:31:06.16
and that rank took the longest,
00:31:06.19\00:31:07.53
it was over two and a half years
00:31:07.56\00:31:08.90
to go from advanced
brown to black belt.
00:31:08.93\00:31:11.33
And we fought every single week,
00:31:11.37\00:31:13.13
this guy outweighed me
by close to 120 pounds.
00:31:13.17\00:31:17.94
And through the training
00:31:17.97\00:31:20.14
we had learned
how to push through
00:31:20.18\00:31:21.78
no matter what the obstacle was.
00:31:21.81\00:31:25.68
When the day came
00:31:25.71\00:31:27.75
and I was
fighting this opponent,
00:31:27.78\00:31:29.58
this other advanced brown belt,
00:31:29.62\00:31:32.55
I remember the
instructor stopping the fight,
00:31:32.59\00:31:35.69
it was in the
afternoon and looking at me
00:31:35.72\00:31:37.49
and he said,
"That's good enough."
00:31:37.53\00:31:38.93
My instructor
pulled me to the side
00:31:38.96\00:31:40.43
and he gave me a date,
00:31:40.46\00:31:41.80
he said, "How does May sound?"
00:31:41.83\00:31:44.00
And I knew what
he was talking about
00:31:44.03\00:31:46.23
and he just smiled
00:31:46.27\00:31:47.90
and for the next few weeks
he didn't even bring it up.
00:31:47.94\00:31:50.14
When that day came,
00:31:50.17\00:31:51.81
I drove up to the school,
00:31:51.84\00:31:53.21
you know, with my
wife and children,
00:31:53.24\00:31:55.28
there was gonna be all
these alumni of the school,
00:31:55.31\00:31:57.61
older high ranks,
00:31:57.65\00:31:58.98
brown belts,
advance brown belts,
00:31:59.01\00:32:00.35
and green belts
00:32:00.38\00:32:01.72
that it had been
there from years before
00:32:01.75\00:32:04.09
coming to support
00:32:04.12\00:32:05.75
and to be a
part of the ceremony.
00:32:05.79\00:32:08.56
When we got out of the car,
00:32:08.59\00:32:09.99
my instructor, my Sifu,
he had one of the high ranks
00:32:10.03\00:32:13.29
come and take my
wife and children
00:32:13.33\00:32:15.23
and lead them into the school.
00:32:15.26\00:32:17.50
And he took me
separately to a separate room
00:32:17.53\00:32:21.10
outside of the school
00:32:21.14\00:32:22.87
and he sat me down.
00:32:22.90\00:32:24.24
And he told me, he said, "Eric,"
00:32:24.27\00:32:25.61
he said, "I wanna
tell you something."
00:32:25.64\00:32:26.98
He said, "You may
not understand this now,
00:32:27.01\00:32:28.91
but you will one day."
00:32:28.94\00:32:30.58
He said, "What's
about to happen to you,
00:32:30.61\00:32:33.11
what you're
about to participate in
00:32:33.15\00:32:35.25
is more like a
marriage than a promotion."
00:32:35.28\00:32:38.72
And then he
walked out of the room
00:32:38.75\00:32:40.56
and he left me there to think.
00:32:40.59\00:32:43.66
As I came into the school,
00:32:43.69\00:32:45.89
you know, an hour or so later
00:32:45.93\00:32:47.26
after the
ceremony was all set up,
00:32:47.30\00:32:49.46
there was a path of candles.
00:32:49.50\00:32:52.33
And the instructor would walk in
00:32:52.37\00:32:55.30
and then the higher ranks,
00:32:55.34\00:32:56.67
the brown belts
and advance brown belts
00:32:56.71\00:32:59.44
and then each one of
the green belts would walk
00:32:59.47\00:33:01.54
and the brown belts
carrying the candles
00:33:01.58\00:33:03.41
setting it down,
00:33:03.45\00:33:04.78
setting as it
were a path of fire
00:33:04.81\00:33:06.95
that you walk through
to achieve this moment.
00:33:06.98\00:33:11.05
When I came in after
and walk down that path,
00:33:11.09\00:33:16.29
I came in the front
and the school was full,
00:33:16.32\00:33:18.53
there were
hundreds of people there.
00:33:18.56\00:33:20.70
And I sat down in
front with my instructor,
00:33:20.73\00:33:23.03
you know, in a lotus
position with the cross legs.
00:33:23.06\00:33:26.40
And he sat down
there in front of me
00:33:26.43\00:33:27.90
and I sat down.
00:33:27.94\00:33:29.70
And he gave a speech,
00:33:29.74\00:33:31.34
you know, he told about,
you know, the achievements
00:33:31.37\00:33:33.91
and the
difficulties that I'd overcome.
00:33:33.94\00:33:37.15
As he was doing this
00:33:37.18\00:33:39.31
I looked and there was
a traditional Asian teapot
00:33:39.35\00:33:42.35
for the tea ceremony,
00:33:42.38\00:33:44.19
there was also
two candles there.
00:33:44.22\00:33:46.99
And he told me, he said,
"When we do this ceremony,"
00:33:47.02\00:33:50.66
he said, "You reach up
00:33:50.69\00:33:52.03
and you put the
candle out with your finger."
00:33:52.06\00:33:53.76
And afterward we
did the tea ceremony,
00:33:53.80\00:33:56.83
the tea ceremony was one teapot
00:33:56.87\00:33:59.87
him pouring and me pouring
00:33:59.90\00:34:02.40
and in us both
drinking from the same water.
00:34:02.44\00:34:05.91
And that was very symbolic,
00:34:05.94\00:34:07.28
what it meant was
00:34:07.31\00:34:08.64
is that his teachings
were now my teachings,
00:34:08.68\00:34:11.55
his life was now my life,
00:34:11.58\00:34:13.72
his spirit was now my spirit.
00:34:13.75\00:34:16.75
It made us and joined us as one.
00:34:16.79\00:34:20.36
After the
ceremony we had a dinner
00:34:20.39\00:34:22.79
and I remember at the dinner,
00:34:22.82\00:34:24.16
I mean, there
was all these people,
00:34:24.19\00:34:25.53
all these family
members and students there,
00:34:25.56\00:34:27.83
and I was so used
to for my upbringing,
00:34:27.86\00:34:31.10
helping other people.
00:34:31.13\00:34:32.47
So I started to go over
and help the high ranks,
00:34:32.50\00:34:34.47
the green belts to serve people.
00:34:34.50\00:34:36.84
And I remember the
grand master came over to me
00:34:36.87\00:34:39.34
and he touched
me on the shoulder
00:34:39.37\00:34:40.71
and he pulled me to the side
00:34:40.74\00:34:42.08
and he said, "You're not
part of that group anymore,
00:34:42.11\00:34:44.75
you're not
supposed to be serving."
00:34:44.78\00:34:46.61
He said, "Come up here and sit."
00:34:46.65\00:34:48.75
So I went up to the table
00:34:48.78\00:34:50.29
and sat down with
the other black belts
00:34:50.32\00:34:52.85
and the grand
master sat beside me.
00:34:52.89\00:34:55.32
And he said, "You
are to be served."
00:34:55.36\00:34:58.06
And all these green belts
begin to bring the food to us.
00:34:58.09\00:35:02.33
And at that point it was
like the Lord sent up a red flag
00:35:02.36\00:35:06.84
something's not
right about this,
00:35:06.87\00:35:08.34
this is exactly opposite
from what God's Word says.
00:35:08.37\00:35:12.01
In Matthew 20, Jesus tells us,
00:35:12.04\00:35:15.94
"You know, that the princes
of the gentiles and unbelievers
00:35:15.98\00:35:19.98
exercise authority
and dominion over them.
00:35:20.02\00:35:23.59
And they that
are great or powerful
00:35:23.62\00:35:26.15
exercise authority
upon those that are weak.
00:35:26.19\00:35:29.69
But it shall
not be so among you,
00:35:29.72\00:35:32.66
for whosoever will
be great among you,
00:35:32.69\00:35:36.46
shall be your servant.
00:35:36.50\00:35:38.50
And whosoever
shall be chief among you,
00:35:38.53\00:35:41.27
let him be your minister."
00:35:41.30\00:35:44.17
These thoughts were
racing through my mind,
00:35:44.21\00:35:46.71
you know, why am
I now being served,
00:35:46.74\00:35:48.68
when I should be
the one that is serving?
00:35:48.71\00:35:51.15
And at the same
time that spirit of pride
00:35:51.18\00:35:53.85
that had been growing
for 14 years within me
00:35:53.88\00:35:57.45
liked the
position of being served,
00:35:57.49\00:35:59.55
liked the attention.
00:35:59.59\00:36:01.26
I was now beginning to realize
00:36:01.29\00:36:02.86
that martial arts is not just
about fighting in self defense
00:36:02.89\00:36:06.56
but it's budo,
it's a way of life.
00:36:06.59\00:36:09.93
The term budo literally
means, "The Martial Way".
00:36:09.96\00:36:14.07
Every style,
00:36:14.10\00:36:15.44
you know, especially
those in the Okinawan styles,
00:36:15.47\00:36:18.71
the Japanese styles
00:36:18.74\00:36:20.11
the Do, whether it
would be jeet kune do
00:36:20.14\00:36:22.61
or karate-do,
00:36:22.64\00:36:23.98
or judo, or
aikido means the way.
00:36:24.01\00:36:27.42
After that ceremony
00:36:27.45\00:36:29.55
I went to the
school the following week
00:36:29.58\00:36:32.45
and I was taking
private instruction at that time
00:36:32.49\00:36:35.16
because I really
wanted to make sure
00:36:35.19\00:36:36.69
that I could achieve
00:36:36.73\00:36:40.06
and progress in the arts.
00:36:40.10\00:36:42.86
And my instructor came up to me
00:36:42.90\00:36:45.10
and he asked me a
very pointed question,
00:36:45.13\00:36:47.97
and I noticed that something
had changed between he and I
00:36:48.00\00:36:50.67
from that ceremony.
00:36:50.71\00:36:52.24
Now instead of him
looking down at me,
00:36:52.27\00:36:54.74
it was as though a
wall had been taken down
00:36:54.78\00:36:58.78
that kept the
student away from the master.
00:36:58.81\00:37:01.48
And he asked me a question.
00:37:01.52\00:37:02.85
He said, "Eric," he
said, "What is it that you want
00:37:02.88\00:37:05.39
from the martial arts now?
00:37:05.42\00:37:06.89
Now that you've
achieved black belt,
00:37:06.92\00:37:08.46
you know, where
do you wanna go?"
00:37:08.49\00:37:10.29
And I told him very plainly,
I said, "I want what you have.
00:37:10.33\00:37:14.23
I want the
abilities that you have."
00:37:14.26\00:37:15.96
The things that I'd
seen him for those 14 years
00:37:16.00\00:37:18.80
do the same magic.
00:37:18.83\00:37:20.67
My instructor encouraged me
00:37:20.70\00:37:23.10
to begin training in other arts.
00:37:23.14\00:37:25.94
My primary focus
had been on full contact
00:37:25.97\00:37:28.61
and on the animal styles.
00:37:28.64\00:37:30.48
He began to encourage me
00:37:30.51\00:37:31.85
to train in other
arts in Aikido, in Judo,
00:37:31.88\00:37:35.22
in the Okinawan styles.
00:37:35.25\00:37:37.39
In most martial arts styles
00:37:37.42\00:37:40.72
a black belt, or a first degree,
00:37:40.76\00:37:42.96
or a first dan is
considered a beginning disciple,
00:37:42.99\00:37:46.29
he's a follower of the
way, a follower of the art.
00:37:46.33\00:37:49.86
Again not just the
physical techniques
00:37:49.90\00:37:52.73
but the way of life.
00:37:52.77\00:37:55.04
So you begin to
follow the master,
00:37:55.07\00:37:57.14
whoever that instructor
is, whatever his rank is.
00:37:57.17\00:38:01.81
So as I did this,
00:38:01.84\00:38:04.41
I wanted to be
officially a disciple,
00:38:04.45\00:38:07.42
I wanted the
title of a disciple.
00:38:07.45\00:38:09.95
And my instructor had
told me that to achieve that,
00:38:09.98\00:38:13.12
the training and
the focus of training
00:38:13.15\00:38:15.29
had to begin to
be purely on chi,
00:38:15.32\00:38:19.06
on the internal strength.
00:38:19.09\00:38:21.43
So all of my
focus, all of my attention
00:38:21.46\00:38:23.80
began to be in any art
that I was training in,
00:38:23.83\00:38:26.57
how was this art related to chi?
00:38:26.60\00:38:28.54
How can I use this art
00:38:28.57\00:38:30.51
to achieve these
supernatural abilities?
00:38:30.54\00:38:34.44
The Shaolin Temple
says in their own writings
00:38:34.48\00:38:38.21
that the relationship between
a master and his disciple
00:38:38.25\00:38:41.78
is stronger than that of blood.
00:38:41.82\00:38:44.22
So through this practice
00:38:44.25\00:38:46.15
and with me it was
five, six days a week,
00:38:46.19\00:38:49.92
I went to church
once a week on Sabbath,
00:38:49.96\00:38:52.39
the rest of the time I
was training martial arts.
00:38:52.43\00:38:54.43
Whenever I was
out with my friends,
00:38:54.46\00:38:55.80
it was about martial arts.
00:38:55.83\00:38:57.73
Everything became
martial arts focused.
00:38:57.77\00:39:01.07
As I was being drawn
deeper into the martial arts,
00:39:04.04\00:39:07.78
I was being pulled slowly away
from the bonds of my family.
00:39:07.81\00:39:12.85
I can remember when it
would be my anniversary,
00:39:12.88\00:39:16.52
my wedding anniversary,
00:39:16.55\00:39:17.89
and I would tell my
wife let's do it the next day
00:39:17.92\00:39:20.26
because I've got something
really important in the arts
00:39:20.29\00:39:22.22
that have to be done that night.
00:39:22.26\00:39:24.83
So we would postpone things
00:39:24.86\00:39:27.30
with my wife and children
00:39:27.33\00:39:28.86
in order that I could
put the martial arts first.
00:39:28.90\00:39:32.23
I remember one weekend,
00:39:32.27\00:39:34.70
my wife and I were
sitting there talking
00:39:34.74\00:39:37.57
and she told me
that she'd had a dream.
00:39:37.61\00:39:41.84
And I've never really,
00:39:41.88\00:39:43.21
you know, given
much credit to dreams,
00:39:43.24\00:39:44.71
I mean, they're just dreams.
00:39:44.75\00:39:46.08
My wife was very concerned
about this she said, "Eric,"
00:39:46.11\00:39:48.52
she said, "This
was from the Lord."
00:39:48.55\00:39:50.45
She said, "I saw the
high ranks at your school."
00:39:50.49\00:39:56.26
And she said, "They
were all standing in a circle
00:39:56.29\00:39:58.63
with their arm's
linked one to another."
00:39:58.66\00:40:01.93
And she said, "Behind them
on the outside of the circle
00:40:01.96\00:40:06.10
I saw all the wives
00:40:06.13\00:40:07.70
and the mothers
and the children.
00:40:07.74\00:40:10.11
And it was as though the
circle was growing tighter
00:40:10.14\00:40:13.98
and the families were
being pushed to the outside."
00:40:14.01\00:40:18.21
After my wife
shared with me this dream
00:40:18.25\00:40:21.08
and I could tell
that it bothered her,
00:40:21.12\00:40:22.78
you know, tremendously.
00:40:22.82\00:40:25.12
I became angry, and I didn't
realize it then but I do now
00:40:25.15\00:40:29.92
there was a
division of loyalties.
00:40:29.96\00:40:32.29
I felt like she was trying
to pull me away from this thing
00:40:32.33\00:40:35.56
that had meant so much to me
00:40:35.60\00:40:37.43
this art that had filled my life
00:40:37.47\00:40:40.44
and I became angry.
00:40:40.47\00:40:42.10
I thought she
doesn't understand.
00:40:42.14\00:40:44.91
I began training even harder
00:40:44.94\00:40:47.18
determined not to allow anything
00:40:47.21\00:40:49.31
to stand between me
and the dreams of my youth.
00:40:49.34\00:40:52.68
But it was I who
did not understand,
00:40:52.71\00:40:55.55
for I had allowed my
own selfish desires to come
00:40:55.58\00:40:58.32
between my wife and I.
00:40:58.35\00:41:00.56
If only I had listened in faith,
00:41:00.59\00:41:02.69
and obeyed the Word of
the Lord that life giving word
00:41:02.72\00:41:06.83
which is still
speaking to each of us today.
00:41:06.86\00:41:10.33
"My son, give me thine heart,
00:41:10.37\00:41:12.87
and let thine
eyes observe my ways.
00:41:12.90\00:41:16.14
Husbands, love your wives,
00:41:16.17\00:41:18.71
even as Christ
also loved his church,
00:41:18.74\00:41:21.64
and gave himself for her."
00:41:21.68\00:41:25.01
This is the battle that faces
every man to love his wife,
00:41:25.05\00:41:28.92
his children, and to
love all others above himself.
00:41:28.95\00:41:32.79
In frustration and rebellion,
I turned away from the one
00:41:32.82\00:41:36.52
that was calling from
my heart not realizing
00:41:36.56\00:41:39.43
that it is only
through this surrender
00:41:39.46\00:41:41.50
that victory and
freedom are finally won.
00:41:41.53\00:41:45.40
The night which I
longed for finally came,
00:41:45.43\00:41:48.27
two of us were to be recognized
00:41:48.30\00:41:50.07
and awarded the title
of disciples in kung fu.
00:41:50.11\00:41:53.31
It was a private ceremony,
one which only the high ranks
00:41:53.34\00:41:57.01
were permitted to attend.
00:41:57.05\00:41:58.85
And now after training
and teaching for 17 years
00:41:58.88\00:42:02.18
on the martial
arts, myself and the man
00:42:02.22\00:42:05.39
whom I had first seen
awarded the coveted black belt
00:42:05.42\00:42:08.56
were now being
honored with the rank
00:42:08.59\00:42:10.53
equivalent of a fifth dan.
00:42:10.56\00:42:12.99
I remember the grand master
00:42:13.03\00:42:14.46
when he walked in to
the discipleship ceremony
00:42:14.50\00:42:17.77
myself and that gentleman
00:42:17.80\00:42:19.80
that had made
advanced brown belt
00:42:19.83\00:42:22.04
that I'd fought
in the beginning,
00:42:22.07\00:42:23.41
both of us made
disciple the same night.
00:42:23.44\00:42:25.61
We were the first
ones in over 30 years
00:42:25.64\00:42:28.14
to make that rank,
00:42:28.18\00:42:29.51
it was the equivalent of
a fifth degree, a fifth dan.
00:42:29.54\00:42:33.21
When the grand master walked in,
00:42:33.25\00:42:34.72
he had this huge
staff in his hand
00:42:34.75\00:42:37.72
and there was hair,
horse hair coming out of it,
00:42:37.75\00:42:40.69
and there were
carvings on the side of it.
00:42:40.72\00:42:43.93
And after the ceremony
when everyone was gone,
00:42:43.96\00:42:47.80
you know, we
asked him about that,
00:42:47.83\00:42:49.40
you know, where
did that come from?
00:42:49.43\00:42:50.77
I'd been there
for all these years
00:42:50.80\00:42:52.13
and never seen
that even in display.
00:42:52.17\00:42:54.77
And he told me he said,
"That staff was used only
00:42:54.80\00:42:57.54
when someone made a disciple."
00:42:57.57\00:42:59.07
I know now that
was a shaman staff
00:42:59.11\00:43:02.18
even though this
man love the Lord,
00:43:02.21\00:43:04.68
you know, was a
professed Christian,
00:43:04.71\00:43:06.98
he was blending light
and darkness together.
00:43:07.02\00:43:11.29
After that point we had
a private lesson with him
00:43:11.32\00:43:14.69
that week after that ceremony.
00:43:14.72\00:43:17.23
And the grand
master told us something
00:43:17.26\00:43:21.76
that I'll never forget,
00:43:21.80\00:43:23.57
he looked at me and
the other gentleman there
00:43:23.60\00:43:26.17
and he told us, he said,
00:43:26.20\00:43:28.30
"What you all are
learning to do now
00:43:28.34\00:43:32.17
you would be considered wizards,
00:43:32.21\00:43:34.21
if this was
done a 100 years ago.
00:43:34.24\00:43:36.98
For the last
two and a half years
00:43:37.01\00:43:38.78
myself and the other
disciple had trained in ways
00:43:38.81\00:43:41.55
I could have
never before imagine.
00:43:41.58\00:43:43.92
We spent hours
each day meditating,
00:43:43.95\00:43:46.65
standing in a low horse
stance upon balance beams,
00:43:46.69\00:43:49.82
and Shaolin plum flower poles.
00:43:49.86\00:43:52.63
Striving to tap into and
harness this mystical power
00:43:52.66\00:43:56.13
called chi through
meditation, deep breathing,
00:43:56.16\00:44:00.17
and visualization techniques,
00:44:00.20\00:44:01.97
we were taught to change
the temperature of our bodies.
00:44:02.00\00:44:05.04
And through the
power of our minds
00:44:05.07\00:44:06.68
to influence and
control both our environment
00:44:06.71\00:44:09.78
as well as those
with whom we fought.
00:44:09.81\00:44:12.78
To advance in this training,
I was required to compromise
00:44:12.81\00:44:16.62
the very clear
instructions of the Word of God,
00:44:16.65\00:44:19.75
and with each further step
00:44:19.79\00:44:21.22
I took on this
path of disobedience,
00:44:21.26\00:44:23.63
my heart grew harder
and my ears more deaf
00:44:23.66\00:44:26.73
to the voice of
my Father's love.
00:44:26.76\00:44:29.70
God's Word being removed,
00:44:29.73\00:44:31.70
the foundation of my life
began to crumble beneath me,
00:44:31.73\00:44:35.24
and our family and home
00:44:35.27\00:44:36.97
was being swept
away in the storm.
00:44:37.01\00:44:40.01
The ties which had bound me
00:44:40.04\00:44:41.48
to my Savior and the
covenant with my wife
00:44:41.51\00:44:44.61
slowly had been eroded away.
00:44:44.65\00:44:47.75
During this time after I
had made my discipleship,
00:44:47.78\00:44:51.75
my marriage and my family
began to become very shaky.
00:44:51.79\00:44:56.36
And I was battling
with something inside
00:44:56.39\00:44:58.73
that I couldn't voice to others.
00:44:58.76\00:45:02.66
Everything that I was
going through with this fight
00:45:02.70\00:45:04.93
of staying married,
fighting for my wife,
00:45:04.97\00:45:08.44
fighting for my children,
and then the martial arts
00:45:08.47\00:45:11.17
pulling me the other direction.
00:45:11.21\00:45:13.58
This was harder than any battle
that I had ever faced before
00:45:13.61\00:45:17.15
and nothing that the
martial arts had taught me,
00:45:17.18\00:45:20.45
gave any hope of
freedom or victory in this fight
00:45:20.48\00:45:23.89
against sin.
00:45:23.92\00:45:26.55
In the martial arts they told us
00:45:26.59\00:45:28.19
that everything
was okay in moderation,
00:45:28.22\00:45:30.99
there were no absolutes,
00:45:31.03\00:45:32.76
there was no
absolute black and white,
00:45:32.79\00:45:35.40
everything had a relative grey.
00:45:35.43\00:45:37.50
The Word of God
tells us clearly,
00:45:43.77\00:45:45.84
"That no man can
serve two masters."
00:45:45.87\00:45:49.08
And for more than 16 years
00:45:49.11\00:45:50.65
I had attempted to do just that.
00:45:50.68\00:45:53.01
While attending church
each week with my family,
00:45:53.05\00:45:55.72
my heart had
been slowly drawn away
00:45:55.75\00:45:57.89
from the things of
the Lord and my home.
00:45:57.92\00:46:00.66
I had allowed the martial arts
00:46:00.69\00:46:02.22
and the desires of
my own carnal heart
00:46:02.26\00:46:04.73
to come between my wife and I.
00:46:04.76\00:46:06.93
And the covenant
which I had made to her
00:46:06.96\00:46:09.43
and to my God,
00:46:09.46\00:46:11.00
this was perhaps the greatest
battle I had ever faced.
00:46:11.03\00:46:14.64
Through the years of
my training in the arts
00:46:14.67\00:46:16.87
and full contact fighting,
00:46:16.91\00:46:18.74
I thought I had prepared
myself to face any conflict,
00:46:18.77\00:46:23.04
but now I realized that
none of the master's teachings,
00:46:23.08\00:46:27.02
nor the training of the
flesh had prepared me for this.
00:46:27.05\00:46:31.75
For we wrestle not
against flesh and blood,
00:46:31.79\00:46:34.69
but against
principalities and powers,
00:46:34.72\00:46:37.36
against spiritual
wickedness and the heavens,
00:46:37.39\00:46:40.10
against the rulers of
the darkness of this world.
00:46:40.13\00:46:43.47
Not only in the
church but in our homes
00:46:43.50\00:46:46.23
and even within our own
lives does this battle wage.
00:46:46.27\00:46:50.47
The enemy I was now facing
00:46:50.51\00:46:52.17
was within my
own heart and mind,
00:46:52.21\00:46:55.11
and I knew not
how to free myself
00:46:55.14\00:46:58.01
from my own selfish
desires and the flesh,
00:46:58.05\00:47:01.08
nor from the voices I
had listened to and obeyed
00:47:01.12\00:47:03.65
for so many years.
00:47:03.69\00:47:05.45
Voices would speak
to each of us every day
00:47:05.49\00:47:08.79
through television
and movies, through music,
00:47:08.82\00:47:11.79
and the printed page.
00:47:11.83\00:47:13.50
And the voices
which had spoken to me
00:47:13.53\00:47:15.73
through the grand masters
00:47:15.76\00:47:17.10
and teachers of the
arts which I practiced.
00:47:17.13\00:47:20.20
The Lord promises us that
the weapons of our warfare
00:47:20.24\00:47:23.81
are not weak and carnal,
00:47:23.84\00:47:25.94
but they are
mighty and full of power
00:47:25.97\00:47:28.34
through God to the
pulling down of strongholds.
00:47:28.38\00:47:32.15
The stronghold of lies
00:47:32.18\00:47:33.95
which the devil
whispers in our ears,
00:47:33.98\00:47:36.72
casting down imaginations,
and every high thing
00:47:36.75\00:47:40.29
which exalts itself
against the knowing of God,
00:47:40.32\00:47:44.16
and bringing into
captivity every thought
00:47:44.19\00:47:46.96
to the perfect
obedience of Christ.
00:47:47.00\00:47:49.96
But how few avail
themselves of that victory
00:47:50.00\00:47:53.40
which the Lord
Jesus Christ is waiting
00:47:53.44\00:47:56.10
and ready to freely give.
00:47:56.14\00:47:58.84
To be a genuine
Christian, truly a disciple
00:47:58.87\00:48:02.48
and follower of the Lord
00:48:02.51\00:48:04.28
means more than
just believing in Jesus.
00:48:04.31\00:48:07.25
It means more than just
attending church once a week
00:48:07.28\00:48:10.59
and reading a few
verses in the morning
00:48:10.62\00:48:12.45
before you rush
out into the world.
00:48:12.49\00:48:15.22
The Lord Jehovah
Yahweh is not asking
00:48:15.26\00:48:19.23
for 70% of your life,
00:48:19.26\00:48:21.60
to be truly born
again cost everything,
00:48:21.63\00:48:25.40
it will cost you your life.
00:48:25.43\00:48:28.14
The martial arts had taught
me to look inward to myself
00:48:28.17\00:48:31.91
rather than upward to
Christ, to follow my feelings
00:48:31.94\00:48:36.38
rather than the
instructions of God's Holy Word.
00:48:36.41\00:48:39.41
And now there was
a war taking place,
00:48:39.45\00:48:42.38
a war which began more
than 6,000 years ago in heaven.
00:48:42.42\00:48:46.35
And although one
seemed to the common eye
00:48:46.39\00:48:49.12
this war rages with intensity
00:48:49.16\00:48:51.29
within every
man, woman, and child.
00:48:51.33\00:48:54.26
For there are people
struggling in darkness,
00:48:54.30\00:48:57.03
battling with internal foes,
00:48:57.07\00:48:59.17
all around us
each and every day.
00:48:59.20\00:49:01.87
There are souls that
are starving for the bread
00:49:01.90\00:49:04.61
and the water of life,
waiting longing for someone
00:49:04.64\00:49:08.48
who truly believes
the words of Christ,
00:49:08.51\00:49:11.35
and who knows His
love and great power
00:49:11.38\00:49:14.18
to deliver and to save.
00:49:14.22\00:49:16.15
Now when I needed
the Lord the most,
00:49:16.18\00:49:18.65
when I needed clear discernment,
00:49:18.69\00:49:21.16
and to know and
to hear His voice,
00:49:21.19\00:49:23.22
I had become both blind and deaf
00:49:23.26\00:49:25.79
to His Spirit's instruction.
00:49:25.83\00:49:27.86
Although I wanted a solution
00:49:27.90\00:49:29.53
to the problems in our marriage,
00:49:29.56\00:49:31.27
I could no longer read
and understand the scriptures
00:49:31.30\00:49:34.14
as I once had.
00:49:34.17\00:49:35.97
Light had become darkness to me,
00:49:36.00\00:49:38.07
and evil now appeared as good.
00:49:38.11\00:49:40.78
For the Bible says,
00:49:40.81\00:49:42.14
"Spiritual things can
only be spiritually discerned."
00:49:42.18\00:49:46.38
I had spent so many
years listening to reading
00:49:46.41\00:49:49.52
and hearing the
voice of the serpent
00:49:49.55\00:49:51.65
through the martial arts,
my instructors, and the media
00:49:51.69\00:49:55.02
that I could no longer discern
00:49:55.06\00:49:56.73
the voice of my Father in heaven
00:49:56.76\00:49:58.49
as He spoke
through His Holy Word.
00:49:58.53\00:50:01.06
For the carnal
mind and the flesh
00:50:01.10\00:50:03.13
is enmity against God.
00:50:03.16\00:50:05.23
It is not
subject to the law of God
00:50:05.27\00:50:07.87
neither indeed it can be.
00:50:07.90\00:50:11.07
I fought the
battle going on in my mind
00:50:11.11\00:50:13.17
for almost six months,
00:50:13.21\00:50:14.98
but I fought it only as I
had been taught in the arts
00:50:15.01\00:50:18.51
by the power of my
own will and flesh.
00:50:18.55\00:50:21.52
And regardless of the training,
no man is a match for Satan
00:50:21.55\00:50:25.52
and his legions of fallen angels
00:50:25.55\00:50:27.69
without Christ.
00:50:27.72\00:50:29.26
In frustration I yielded
to the voice of the dragon
00:50:29.29\00:50:32.39
and my own selfish
desires for freedom
00:50:32.43\00:50:35.00
and I filed for a divorce.
00:50:35.03\00:50:37.43
I cannot put into words
how our family was broken
00:50:37.47\00:50:40.87
when yielding to the carnal
desires of one's own heart,
00:50:40.90\00:50:44.07
rather than the Word of
God few realize the lives
00:50:44.11\00:50:48.24
their decisions
will affect for eternity,
00:50:48.28\00:50:51.08
for the heart is
deceitful above all things
00:50:51.11\00:50:54.35
and who can know it.
00:50:54.38\00:50:56.35
I remember so
clearly that last day
00:50:56.38\00:50:58.62
when I drove the moving
truck to our country home
00:50:58.65\00:51:01.16
to pick up the
remaining furniture
00:51:01.19\00:51:02.82
that I was taking with me.
00:51:02.86\00:51:04.59
And as I pulled out
of our gravel driveway
00:51:04.63\00:51:07.03
I did not see my
wife and small son
00:51:07.06\00:51:09.86
as they stood in the doorway
00:51:09.90\00:51:11.97
crying out to the Lord in heaven
00:51:12.00\00:51:14.20
for His mercy and help,
00:51:14.24\00:51:16.27
nor did I see the
six-year old little girl
00:51:16.30\00:51:19.34
running behind my truck
crying, "Daddy, Daddy wait.
00:51:19.37\00:51:23.58
Please, don't leave."
00:51:23.61\00:51:25.78
It wasn't until
years later that I realized
00:51:25.81\00:51:28.25
what my leaving had done
00:51:28.28\00:51:29.62
to my wife and children's lives.
00:51:29.65\00:51:32.25
My wife Sarah began to
fight the fight a faith,
00:51:32.29\00:51:35.79
refusing to believe
00:51:35.82\00:51:37.16
that the Lord
would not keep His word,
00:51:37.19\00:51:39.79
she daily claimed His
promises repeating out loud,
00:51:39.83\00:51:43.87
"What the Lord
have joined together,
00:51:43.90\00:51:45.63
let no man put asunder.
00:51:45.67\00:51:48.07
For with the heart we
believe unto righteousness,
00:51:48.10\00:51:50.97
and with our mouth confession
is made unto salvation.
00:51:51.01\00:51:55.08
For whosoever believeth on
Him shall not be put to shame."
00:51:55.11\00:52:00.02
And while my wife lost herself
in the Lord, in her Bible,
00:52:00.05\00:52:03.82
and fasting, and
prayer, I plunged even deeper
00:52:03.85\00:52:07.46
into the darkness of the arts
00:52:07.49\00:52:09.12
which had been
the dream of my youth.
00:52:09.16\00:52:11.39
Struggling,
struggling to silence
00:52:11.43\00:52:14.26
the voice of the Lord in
my own guilty conscience.
00:52:14.30\00:52:18.13
I can remember seeing
Sarah as she walked up the steps
00:52:18.17\00:52:20.90
to my apartment to
drop off our children.
00:52:20.94\00:52:23.84
She looks so thin and fragile
00:52:23.87\00:52:26.17
and yet there
was a joy in her eyes
00:52:26.21\00:52:28.54
which I could not understand.
00:52:28.58\00:52:30.85
She had found that
00:52:30.88\00:52:32.71
for which I
struggled so hard to apprehend,
00:52:32.75\00:52:35.95
but no matter how far I ran
00:52:35.98\00:52:37.95
and regardless
of the entertainment
00:52:37.99\00:52:39.82
and distractions the
devil used to occupy my time,
00:52:39.85\00:52:43.73
when I lay down alone at
night the silence was deafening.
00:52:43.76\00:52:48.93
"O that thou hadst
hearkened unto my commandments.
00:52:48.96\00:52:52.53
For then had thy
peace been as a river,
00:52:52.57\00:52:55.47
and thy righteousness
as the waves of the sea.
00:52:55.50\00:52:58.71
For great peace have
they that love my law,
00:52:58.74\00:53:02.08
and nothing shall cause
them to stumble and fall."
00:53:02.11\00:53:06.08
As I sought for
deeper knowledge and power
00:53:06.11\00:53:08.38
from the martial arts,
00:53:08.42\00:53:09.85
I also began
training more heavily
00:53:09.88\00:53:11.89
in the Chinese internal styles
00:53:11.92\00:53:13.99
of tai chi quan,
baguazhang, and qigong.
00:53:14.02\00:53:18.06
I remember the weekend
00:53:18.09\00:53:19.73
when an
accomplished martial artist
00:53:19.76\00:53:21.43
and close friend
of mine invited me
00:53:21.46\00:53:23.63
to attend a training seminar
00:53:23.67\00:53:25.53
which his grand
master was holding in a city
00:53:25.57\00:53:28.00
but a few hours
from where we live.
00:53:28.04\00:53:30.74
I was excited about the prospect
00:53:30.77\00:53:32.47
of meeting this man,
00:53:32.51\00:53:34.18
a man of his
rank and reputation,
00:53:34.21\00:53:36.98
and even more so because
he was known for his ability
00:53:37.01\00:53:40.02
in both demonstrating
00:53:40.05\00:53:41.42
and teaching the use of
internal strength or chi.
00:53:41.45\00:53:45.65
This man was
recognized as a tenth dan
00:53:45.69\00:53:48.42
into two systems of kung fu
00:53:48.46\00:53:50.53
and a master
teacher in Chinese qigong
00:53:50.56\00:53:53.46
a system which has
as its sole purpose,
00:53:53.50\00:53:56.43
the martial, and
medical development
00:53:56.46\00:53:58.77
of chi power and energy.
00:53:58.80\00:54:01.67
After the day's
training was over,
00:54:01.70\00:54:03.47
the grand master came and spoke
with a small group of students
00:54:03.51\00:54:06.98
from the area he
gave instructions
00:54:07.01\00:54:09.58
to the black
belts and their pupils
00:54:09.61\00:54:11.35
in regard to their training
00:54:11.38\00:54:13.08
which they
quickly left to complete.
00:54:13.11\00:54:16.08
Once alone the grand
master addressed me personally
00:54:16.12\00:54:19.32
and although we had
never met before he told me
00:54:19.35\00:54:22.29
that it was not by chance
that I was there that day.
00:54:22.32\00:54:25.69
For according to an
old Chinese proverb,
00:54:25.73\00:54:28.30
"When the student is ready,
00:54:28.33\00:54:29.96
it is then that the
master will appear."
00:54:30.00\00:54:32.80
From that day forward I
looked for every opportunity
00:54:32.83\00:54:36.00
to train under this man,
00:54:36.04\00:54:37.77
for not only did he have
the knowledge to teach me
00:54:37.81\00:54:41.61
but he also had the
authority to ensure my progress
00:54:41.64\00:54:45.41
in the ranks above fifth dan.
00:54:45.45\00:54:47.72
Of all that I
learned during those years
00:54:47.75\00:54:50.52
one thing
stands out in my memory
00:54:50.55\00:54:52.85
to this very day,
00:54:52.89\00:54:54.66
late one night after
a hard day of training,
00:54:54.69\00:54:57.79
he began to speak of the riddle
of internal energy in chi,
00:54:57.83\00:55:02.10
and how this power was achieved.
00:55:02.13\00:55:04.70
But to my surprise
00:55:04.73\00:55:06.07
instead of telling of ancient
Chinese warriors and sages,
00:55:06.10\00:55:09.84
he spoke of the artistic ability
00:55:09.87\00:55:12.07
of many of
today's modern musicians
00:55:12.11\00:55:15.21
men such as
Clapton, Hendrix, and others.
00:55:15.24\00:55:18.41
He compared the
energy which we were taught
00:55:18.45\00:55:20.68
to use in kung fu to that
00:55:20.72\00:55:23.02
which these legends
of rock and roll channel
00:55:23.05\00:55:25.65
while playing the most
sensual and ungodly music.
00:55:25.69\00:55:29.52
It was then that I was
told that to the beginner
00:55:29.56\00:55:33.19
chi is known simply
as internal strength,
00:55:33.23\00:55:36.33
while at the intermediate levels
00:55:36.36\00:55:37.97
chi is taught to be breath,
00:55:38.00\00:55:40.54
and at the final level
chi is revealed to be spirit.
00:55:40.57\00:55:45.74
And it is this spiritual energy
00:55:45.77\00:55:47.41
which is manifest in
a 1,000 different forms.
00:55:47.44\00:55:51.01
To the martial artist it
is used for speed and power,
00:55:51.05\00:55:54.58
to the holistic healer
00:55:54.62\00:55:55.95
it is used to channel
vibrational energies to heal,
00:55:55.98\00:55:59.65
for the corporate
executive and leader
00:55:59.69\00:56:01.62
it is used to
influence and manipulate
00:56:01.66\00:56:03.86
those beneath him,
00:56:03.89\00:56:05.46
to the actor it is used
to mesmerize their audiences,
00:56:05.49\00:56:09.10
while for the musician
00:56:09.13\00:56:10.60
this spiritual
energy is used to inspire
00:56:10.63\00:56:13.34
and to quicken their performance
00:56:13.37\00:56:15.27
and control the minds
00:56:15.30\00:56:16.64
and emotions of their listeners.
00:56:16.67\00:56:19.17
After a few years
under his instruction
00:56:19.21\00:56:21.74
I was soon impressed
00:56:21.78\00:56:23.28
that if I was
truly going to learn
00:56:23.31\00:56:24.98
what this man had to teach
00:56:25.01\00:56:26.58
I could no longer
serve two masters.
00:56:26.61\00:56:29.32
After all it was common
for disciples to step out
00:56:29.35\00:56:32.15
from under the covering
of their original teacher
00:56:32.19\00:56:34.26
and school and begin
teaching on their own.
00:56:34.29\00:56:37.09
And this idea now feeling
freedom to learn unhindered
00:56:37.13\00:56:42.10
by divided loyalties,
00:56:42.13\00:56:43.87
I began seeking to
understand the hidden thread
00:56:43.90\00:56:47.04
which is woven
throughout all the eastern arts.
00:56:47.07\00:56:50.04
My power whose
results could be seen
00:56:50.07\00:56:52.71
but whose source
remained ever elusive
00:56:52.74\00:56:55.51
and concealed beneath a veil.
00:56:55.54\00:56:58.45
I often made the long
six hour drive to the city
00:56:58.48\00:57:01.15
where my new
teacher lived and taught.
00:57:01.18\00:57:04.19
And it was on one such visit
00:57:04.22\00:57:05.92
that I went to the
grand master's home,
00:57:05.95\00:57:08.22
it was here that
I learned the secret
00:57:08.26\00:57:10.26
for which I and
disciples around the world
00:57:10.29\00:57:13.09
had fought and
trained for so many years.
00:57:13.13\00:57:16.10
As I entered his home I saw that
00:57:16.13\00:57:18.70
which was most unexpected
00:57:18.73\00:57:20.94
instead of images of Shaolin
warlords long dead and monks
00:57:20.97\00:57:25.17
in their
traditional robes and sashs.
00:57:25.21\00:57:27.84
I saw hanging upon
the walls of every room
00:57:27.88\00:57:32.05
tall, life-size tapestries
of the Hindu gods and deities.
00:57:32.08\00:57:37.09
Alarms were sounding in my mind,
00:57:37.12\00:57:39.89
echoes of the scripture warnings
00:57:39.92\00:57:41.72
I had been taught as a child,
00:57:41.76\00:57:43.63
echoes which I sought to ignore.
00:57:43.66\00:57:46.56
The grand master
asked me that day
00:57:46.59\00:57:48.70
a very puzzling question.
00:57:48.73\00:57:50.97
He said, "If all
martial arts begin at Shaolin
00:57:51.00\00:57:54.77
which I knew they did,
00:57:54.80\00:57:56.57
then why do we see
such different expressions
00:57:56.60\00:57:59.27
of that one and same art?"
00:57:59.31\00:58:01.71
I was stunned and yet intrigued
for this was that very question
00:58:01.74\00:58:06.28
for which I had sought an
answer all of these years,
00:58:06.31\00:58:09.18
yet had never been
able to put into words.
00:58:09.22\00:58:12.02
How did he know to
ask me that question?
00:58:12.05\00:58:15.19
The alarms rang
louder in my mind.
00:58:15.22\00:58:18.83
The year was 2007,
I'd achieved everything
00:58:18.86\00:58:23.60
that I'd ever dreamed
of in the martial arts.
00:58:23.63\00:58:27.20
One night I was teaching
a class in the Chinese style
00:58:27.24\00:58:29.87
called baguazhang,
it's very much like tai chi
00:58:29.90\00:58:33.27
all the movements are
very slow, very precise,
00:58:33.31\00:58:37.08
there's a lot of deep breathing,
00:58:37.11\00:58:39.61
internal
meditation, focusing within
00:58:39.65\00:58:42.42
as you do the
movements of the form.
00:58:42.45\00:58:45.35
As I was doing this
form, I was leading my students
00:58:45.39\00:58:49.82
through the motions in a circle
00:58:49.86\00:58:52.43
and as we circle we
would focus on breathing
00:58:52.46\00:58:55.43
in certain hand
gestures called mudras,
00:58:55.46\00:58:58.90
then as we completed
the circle we would reverse
00:58:58.93\00:59:01.60
and go the opposite way.
00:59:01.64\00:59:04.57
As I was doing this,
00:59:04.61\00:59:06.57
I looked into the
eyes of my students,
00:59:06.61\00:59:09.91
I was looking to see
00:59:09.94\00:59:11.28
if they were really
tapping into that power
00:59:11.31\00:59:14.35
that the martial arts
is supposed to reveal,
00:59:14.38\00:59:18.39
is supposed to impart to you.
00:59:18.42\00:59:21.76
As I looked in
their eyes, I noticed
00:59:21.79\00:59:23.56
that almost every one
of them was in a trance
00:59:23.59\00:59:27.60
and they were drenched in sweat.
00:59:27.63\00:59:31.17
Not because of the
martial arts training,
00:59:31.20\00:59:33.94
I knew that this is not possible
00:59:33.97\00:59:36.40
humanly or physically speaking,
00:59:36.44\00:59:38.67
we had not done anything
00:59:38.71\00:59:40.21
to bring the body to a sweat,
00:59:40.24\00:59:43.04
we had not done
anything physical,
00:59:43.08\00:59:45.15
there was no calisthenics.
00:59:45.18\00:59:48.75
At that moment
00:59:48.78\00:59:52.22
my mind was taken
above what we were doing.
00:59:52.25\00:59:56.73
And as I was teaching this form,
00:59:56.76\01:00:00.96
it was as though I was
looking down from above
01:00:01.00\01:00:03.60
and I was seeing
a design or pattern
01:00:03.63\01:00:05.93
that we were forming
on the floor of the dojo.
01:00:05.97\01:00:10.61
This has never
happened to me before,
01:00:10.64\01:00:12.91
it was very much like a
farmer with crop circles.
01:00:12.94\01:00:16.68
When he walks
out into his field,
01:00:16.71\01:00:18.11
he just sees a mess,
but if he sees it from above
01:00:18.15\01:00:21.82
from an aerial view, you
can see a distinct pattern.
01:00:21.85\01:00:26.49
The pattern that I saw
was a circle with a dot
01:00:26.52\01:00:30.99
right in the center
much like a bull's eye.
01:00:31.03\01:00:34.56
The thing that I struggled with
01:00:34.60\01:00:36.97
was that I had
seen the same symbol
01:00:37.00\01:00:39.90
in all of the martial
arts literature, the writing,
01:00:39.93\01:00:43.14
the books of the
masters and grand masters.
01:00:43.17\01:00:46.51
I went home that night
and I went through my library
01:00:46.54\01:00:50.51
searching through aikido
books, the Japanese styles,
01:00:50.55\01:00:53.82
through the kung
fu and qigong books,
01:00:53.85\01:00:56.45
the Chinese internal styles.
01:00:56.48\01:00:59.05
In every style that I looked,
I found that same symbol.
01:00:59.09\01:01:04.23
And I also found the
meaning of that symbol.
01:01:04.26\01:01:07.93
The Symbol meant
the sun god or the Dao.
01:01:07.96\01:01:11.73
I was not sure how
to tell my students,
01:01:15.80\01:01:17.74
I mean, how do you
tell close to a 100 people
01:01:17.77\01:01:20.18
that an art that we had
been teaching at the school
01:01:20.21\01:01:23.98
was actually invoking
the spirit of the sun god.
01:01:24.01\01:01:26.78
So the next week
in my advanced class,
01:01:29.78\01:01:31.95
the high rank class,
01:01:31.99\01:01:33.49
I told my students
01:01:33.52\01:01:35.02
I had a homework
project for them.
01:01:35.06\01:01:37.26
I wanted them to go home
and do research on this symbol.
01:01:37.29\01:01:41.56
So I drew the
symbol on our chalk board
01:01:41.60\01:01:44.17
and I gave them
their assignment.
01:01:44.20\01:01:46.40
The following
week when I came in
01:01:46.43\01:01:49.60
it was like dead silence
01:01:49.64\01:01:51.07
you could have heard a pin drop.
01:01:51.11\01:01:53.54
Each one of those
students was very solemn.
01:01:53.58\01:01:57.48
I asked them to get up
01:01:57.51\01:01:58.85
and present before the
class what they had found.
01:01:58.88\01:02:01.58
And when I had given
them this assignment,
01:02:01.62\01:02:04.52
I told them
that it didn't matter
01:02:04.55\01:02:06.69
where they found
their information,
01:02:06.72\01:02:08.22
I just wanted to see
01:02:08.26\01:02:09.59
what they could
find on that symbol.
01:02:09.62\01:02:12.09
They looked in history books,
01:02:12.13\01:02:14.33
they looked in
Aztec and Mayan writings,
01:02:14.36\01:02:16.77
they looked in
Egyptian hieroglyphics,
01:02:16.80\01:02:21.20
they looked in Greek, Roman,
they looked in Babylonian,
01:02:21.24\01:02:26.41
they also
looked in tattoo books,
01:02:26.44\01:02:28.28
they looked in books
on Wicca and witchcraft.
01:02:28.31\01:02:32.45
And each one of them
one after another got up
01:02:32.48\01:02:35.35
and presented the
information they had found.
01:02:35.38\01:02:38.12
And all of them
regardless of the source
01:02:38.15\01:02:40.66
found the same thing,
the symbol of the sun god
01:02:40.69\01:02:43.79
or the Dao or yin and yang
as it is known in the Chinese.
01:02:43.83\01:02:49.63
After doing this,
01:02:49.66\01:02:51.00
after realizing what
the symbol really stood for,
01:02:51.03\01:02:56.10
one of my students
asked, "What does this mean?
01:02:56.14\01:03:00.18
What we're gonna do?
01:03:00.21\01:03:01.54
How does this
change what we're doing?"
01:03:01.58\01:03:03.38
And I told them from that point
01:03:03.41\01:03:04.78
on we would no longer
be teaching that class,
01:03:04.81\01:03:06.88
we would no longer be
teaching the art of bagua.
01:03:06.92\01:03:10.89
But as I went home that night,
01:03:10.92\01:03:12.35
I knew that there was
more than what I had just seen.
01:03:12.39\01:03:17.06
So I began searching
through all of the studies
01:03:17.09\01:03:19.49
that I had done, all
of my books and literature
01:03:19.53\01:03:22.76
on the internal
martial arts of tai chi,
01:03:22.80\01:03:25.03
and yoga, and qigong,
and even the Shaolin arts.
01:03:25.07\01:03:28.84
And as I
searched, I began to realize
01:03:28.87\01:03:31.31
that there was more
working within these arts
01:03:31.34\01:03:33.88
than I had wanted to believe.
01:03:33.91\01:03:35.91
Memories of my mother's
apprehension and discernment
01:03:35.94\01:03:38.95
when I took that first
step on that night so long ago.
01:03:38.98\01:03:43.05
Now it was becoming
clear that the spiritual forces
01:03:43.08\01:03:45.95
which enabled the abilities
in the arts I had practiced,
01:03:45.99\01:03:49.59
and also wrought in
my family's destruction.
01:03:49.62\01:03:53.16
But now the Lord was calling me,
01:03:53.19\01:03:55.76
"My son, it is
time to come home."
01:03:55.80\01:03:58.87
He was fighting to set
me free from the chains
01:03:58.90\01:04:01.44
in which I was bound
01:04:01.47\01:04:03.10
and revealing to
my wife and children
01:04:03.14\01:04:05.47
the power of His unfailing Word.
01:04:05.51\01:04:08.18
And as the Lord was reuniting
our marriage and family,
01:04:08.21\01:04:11.51
He was also restoring
sight to my blinded eyes.
01:04:11.55\01:04:15.42
Within a week I
made the announcement
01:04:15.45\01:04:17.05
to my student body
01:04:17.09\01:04:18.42
that we were no longer
going to be offering or teaching
01:04:18.45\01:04:21.26
the internal arts such
as tai chi, qigong, bagua,
01:04:21.29\01:04:25.53
and even Shaolin kung fu.
01:04:25.56\01:04:28.56
Now I was trying to separate
01:04:28.60\01:04:30.70
and divide the
martial arts physical
01:04:30.73\01:04:34.84
from the martial arts spiritual.
01:04:34.87\01:04:37.71
This was very
difficult, I attempted it
01:04:37.74\01:04:39.71
for probably
six or seven months.
01:04:39.74\01:04:42.81
At the end of seven months,
01:04:47.38\01:04:50.62
I realized that
you cannot separate
01:04:50.65\01:04:52.85
the spiritual
roots of martial arts
01:04:52.89\01:04:54.76
from their physical practice.
01:04:54.79\01:04:57.79
When I made this
announcement to my students,
01:04:57.83\01:05:01.20
I lost probably
40% of my student body.
01:05:01.23\01:05:05.80
It hurt financially,
but it also hurt to know
01:05:05.83\01:05:09.54
that I have lost students
01:05:09.57\01:05:11.04
some of which had been
with me for many years.
01:05:11.07\01:05:14.64
One night I came
home from teaching class,
01:05:14.68\01:05:17.21
it was like probably
11:30 almost 12 o'clock.
01:05:17.25\01:05:21.72
I walked in the door
01:05:21.75\01:05:24.02
and as I walked
through the kitchen,
01:05:24.05\01:05:25.39
I remember setting down
my gym bag, my workout bag,
01:05:25.42\01:05:28.96
you know, beside the doorway.
01:05:28.99\01:05:31.79
I stepped over
to the refrigerator
01:05:31.83\01:05:33.73
to get something to drink
01:05:33.76\01:05:35.96
as my hand reached out to
open the refrigerator door,
01:05:36.00\01:05:40.24
the hair on the back of
my neck stood on the end,
01:05:40.27\01:05:43.74
I felt an enormous
presence behind me,
01:05:43.77\01:05:47.98
something that terrified me.
01:05:48.01\01:05:51.15
After all these
years of martial arts
01:05:51.18\01:05:52.95
and full contact fighting,
01:05:52.98\01:05:55.18
I thought I wasn't
afraid of anything.
01:05:55.22\01:05:58.85
What this was
behind me terrifying me?
01:05:58.89\01:06:03.73
I didn't know what to do,
it was like in that moment
01:06:03.76\01:06:07.60
all these
thoughts, all the teachings
01:06:07.63\01:06:09.60
of the masters I had
read and studied under
01:06:09.63\01:06:12.37
went racing through my mind.
01:06:12.40\01:06:15.34
Do I fight? Do I run?
01:06:15.37\01:06:18.77
But neither one would have
done any good, both were futile.
01:06:18.81\01:06:25.01
And I was scared to turn around.
01:06:25.05\01:06:27.45
I did not even
wanna see what this was
01:06:27.48\01:06:29.32
that was towering behind me.
01:06:29.35\01:06:31.02
It felt like it
was 10 or 12 feet tall,
01:06:31.05\01:06:34.22
it was enormous.
01:06:34.26\01:06:35.59
At that moment I heard a
name sounding in my ears,
01:06:39.46\01:06:46.37
the name of Jesus
Christ and as I heard that name
01:06:46.40\01:06:51.41
there was a
spark, a spark of hope.
01:06:51.44\01:06:55.18
And I thought is it
possible that He would save me
01:06:55.21\01:06:59.48
even after
everything that I've done,
01:06:59.51\01:07:01.98
even after the pain and the hurt
01:07:02.02\01:07:04.15
that I've caused
my family and others,
01:07:04.19\01:07:07.49
will He save and deliver me?
01:07:07.52\01:07:11.36
In Acts 2, we have
been given the promise,
01:07:11.39\01:07:15.06
"That whosoever calls
upon the name of the Lord,
01:07:15.10\01:07:18.23
Adonai, the sovereign
king shall be delivered."
01:07:18.27\01:07:23.57
I thought can it
really be that simple?
01:07:23.61\01:07:26.68
Is it possible?
01:07:26.71\01:07:28.14
Will He really hear
and come to my rescue?
01:07:28.18\01:07:32.48
In that moment I
fell on my knees,
01:07:32.51\01:07:35.05
I looked up, and I cried out
01:07:35.08\01:07:36.72
with all that I had within me,
01:07:36.75\01:07:38.99
"Jesus, save me,
Jesus, Yahshua, save me."
01:07:39.02\01:07:45.59
I don't know how long I cried,
01:07:45.63\01:07:47.20
tears were rolling down my face.
01:07:47.23\01:07:50.43
I could still feel
that presence behind me
01:07:50.47\01:07:52.73
and I just kept calling
on the name of Jesus Christ.
01:07:52.77\01:07:56.60
After what
seemed like an eternity,
01:07:56.64\01:07:59.57
I felt something
else enter the room
01:07:59.61\01:08:02.44
it was as though a
hand grab this thing
01:08:02.48\01:08:05.01
that was behind me,
this spirit, this demon
01:08:05.05\01:08:08.15
that was standing
behind me and flung it
01:08:08.18\01:08:10.89
out of the room.
01:08:10.92\01:08:12.82
I didn't see anything
01:08:12.85\01:08:14.19
but it was as
though you could feel it,
01:08:14.22\01:08:15.56
you know, I was covered in tears
01:08:15.59\01:08:17.43
and I was
crying out to the Lord.
01:08:17.46\01:08:20.93
At that moment I came to know
the Lord as my personal savior.
01:08:20.96\01:08:26.90
At that moment the
Lord had shown Himself
01:08:26.94\01:08:29.87
that He was mighty to say.
01:08:29.90\01:08:31.44
If yoga has in the last
three years really exploded
01:09:10.31\01:09:13.45
for Americans, a
lot of folks swear by,
01:09:13.48\01:09:15.95
some Christians that believe
there's actually a real problem
01:09:15.98\01:09:18.25
with yoga.
01:09:18.29\01:09:19.62
Meditate on this, I will.
01:09:23.02\01:09:25.39
I put the force into the movies
01:09:25.43\01:09:27.90
in order to try to awaken a
certain kind of spirituality.
01:09:27.93\01:09:34.17
The spirit that I
received from the masters
01:09:34.20\01:09:37.31
and I trained under some
of the best in the world.
01:09:37.34\01:09:39.71
And that spirit was one of
violence, it was different.
01:09:39.74\01:09:43.14
It's limiting to just
label it martial arts.
01:09:43.18\01:09:45.98
It's just a way of life.
01:09:46.01\01:09:47.35
I believe that
from going emotional,
01:09:47.38\01:09:49.98
definitely even spiritually.
01:09:50.02\01:09:51.49