Ssahng Nat

Madison got two new gifts today, a few new weapons called the ssahng nat.  I have no idea if that is plural or singular or even how to pronounce it.  My best bet is to terribly mispronounce it, and then make a joke out of things as if I had intentionally mispronounced it all along!

Regardless, Madison has these.  In Japan, they are called "kama," which is basically a farming implement that can be also used as a weapon.  I feel like American Martial arts can benefit from this strategy greatly, using hoes and rakes on the martial arts floor.  But even if we don't use rakes or hoes or even spades, let me just go ahead and insert this fun fact:  I'm much more intimidated by a person using a set of these, versus some nunchucks.  Yes, give a martial arts master either, and I'm toast.  But these ssahng nat weapons have a look about them that says, "Watch out!"  Or... at least however that phrase is pronounced in Korean.

You can see Mr. Edge here, leading Madison in a quick demonstration on how to hold and use these weapons, something she's actually never done before, as far as I know.  The reason this is new is that today was her first time in the leadership class at Edge ATA.

She's even got some new patches and a ribbon to go on her jacket.  You'll see her wearing this later on, but Mrs. Edge is here showing Mommy how and where to put the patches.  She's now scheduled for four classes a week on Monday and Tuesday, then Thursday and Friday.  That means I'll be setting up an office somewhere here.  I have my usual spot here, and in fact am currently typing from this location even now was I watch her attempt a toss and twirl these in the air.

Later on... here I am again, typing up about the day here.  We ate a quick meal after taekwondo, and made our way over to the swimming pool for our reserved time at 6pm.  It was rainy, but warm and without any thunder, and the rain wasn't so heavy that you couldn't jump in the pool.  So, with all that said, we jumped in the pool anyway.  There were a few more families there, but it was nice getting some swim-time in.  It was a bit cooler outside this time, but the water was nice and warm.

We got home and got changed, and we watched "Ant-Man" again, just because it was the Marvel movie that came before season three of the show we're currently waiting to get in the mail.  That should be here tomorrow.  But "Ant-Man" is such a fun movie, and has one of my favorite laughs of the whole Marvel movie series.  It's fun.

Tonight we started on "Diggers," the next book in "The Bromeliad Trilogy," and the girls are already wanting to find out what's next.  The nomes are starting things out in the quarry, and there's an airport nearby.  But there's also some troubling developments brewing, and of course more adventure.  It's going to be a fun read.

We had a good day today - I've been working at the office, and I'm still making up new series that we may or may not ever do.  The next series idea that I've been working on is one based on "Oz," which starts out with a message about the Scarecrow.  I finished that one today, and will be working on the Tin Man tomorrow, and hopefully the Cowardly Lion on Wednesday.  The Wizard will get his own message too, and of course Dorothy.  I'm excited about this one, as it's been a world we keep returning to.

In fact, why don't we close out this blog entry today with a little message about the Scarecrow.  It's still somewhat of a rough draft, but it gets the idea across.

SCARECROW

     “If I only had a brain.”  The moment anyone says that phrase, the first image that pops up is a picture of the Scarecrow from “The Wizard of Oz.”  He’s a loyal friend of Dorothy on her way along the Yellow Brick Road, and he only wants one thing:  a brain. 

      He thinks he’s not that smart, mainly because his head is filled with straw.  But we know better.  After all, wasn’t it the Scarecrow who came up with that clever plan to get delicious apples for Dorothy?  And wasn’t it Scarecrow who helped get the group to Emerald City, and defeat the Wicked Witch of the West?

      Scarecrow already had what he had most of all.  He was already pretty smart!  And you know something?  He shows us all how to be smart as well!

      Firstly, don’t get burned! Scarecrow is afraid of fire, and actually, who wouldn’t be?  The Bible tells us that our words we speak can start a dangerous fire unlike anything else.  Scarecrow seems to know this when he tells Dorothy, “Some people without brains do an awful lot of talking, don’t they?”  Those are some pretty smart words for someone who says he doesn’t have a brain! 

      Next, don’t stop seeking wisdom.  Don’t stop trying to stuff new knowledge into your head!  Scarecrow spent a long time seeking the great and powerful Oz for wisdom.  At the end of his journey, of course, Scarecrow discovered he already had his wish all along.  But consider this: so do you!  You don’t have to march down a yellow brick road to get wisdom.  All you have to do is ask the ever-present God, and He’ll give you exactly what you need.

     Finally, just remember what King Solomon told us:  Wisdom rules!  As a new king of Israel, King Solomon could have asked God for anything at all.  Imagine that!  Anything!  Get this:  he chose wisdom over everything else, because he knew its real value.  Perhaps that’s why Scarecrow was made ruler of Emerald City – he was considered the smartest of them all.  

     Know this:  wisdom and knowledge are super important, and our Heavenly Father completely agrees.  Study to show yourself approved, and seek His wisdom as the magnificent gift that it really is.  You’ve don’t have just straw in your head.  You’ve got something much more amazing!

Scriptures and quotes:

“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is pure. That’s the most important thing about it. And that’s not all. It also loves peace. It thinks about others. It obeys. It is full of mercy and good fruit. It is fair. It doesn’t pretend to be what it is not.” James 3:17 NIRV

“Blessed is the one who finds wisdom.  Blessed is the one who gains understanding.” Proverbs 3:13 NIRV

“It is much better to get wisdom than gold.  It is much better to choose understanding than silver.” Proverbs 16:16 NIRV

“Listen to advice and accept correction. In the end you will be counted among those who are wise.” Proverbs 19:20 NIRV

“Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders. Make the most of every opportunity.  Let the words you speak always be full of grace. Learn how to make your words what people want to hear. Then you will know how to answer everyone.” Colossians 4:5-6 NIRV

“If any of you needs wisdom, you should ask God for it. He will give it to you. God gives freely to everyone and doesn’t find fault.” James 1:5 NIRV

“Some people without brains do an awful lot of talking, don’t they?”  - Scarecrow

1.     Don’t get __________. Scarecrow is afraid of fire, and the Bible tells us that our words we speak can start a dangerous fire unlike anything else.  Scarecrow seems to know this when he tells Dorothy, “Some people without brains do an awful lot of talking, don’t they?”  Say, those are some pretty smart words for someone who says he doesn’t have a brain!  
“In the same way, the tongue is a small part of a person’s body. But it talks big. Think about how a small spark can set a big forest on fire.” James 3:5 NIRVa.  burned                  b. excited                    c. scared

2.     Seek Him for ___________.  Scarecrow spent a long time seeking the great and powerful Oz for wisdom.  But at the end of his journey, Scarecrow discovered he already had his wish all along.  But consider this: so do you!  You don’t have to march down a yellow brick road to get wisdom.  All you have to do is ask the ever-present God, and He’ll give you exactly what you need.“If any of you needs wisdom, you should ask God for it. He will give it to you. God gives freely to everyone and doesn’t find fault.” James 1:5 NIRV
a. power                     b. wisdom                  c. flying monkeys

3.     ____________ rules.  As a new king of Israel, King Solomon could have asked God for anything at all.  Imagine that!  Anything!  He chose wisdom over everything else, because he knew its real value.  Perhaps that’s why Scarecrow was made ruler of Emerald City – he was considered the smartest of them all.  Know this:  wisdom and knowledge are super important, and our Heavenly Father completely agrees.  Study to show yourself approved, and seek His wisdom as the magnificent gift that it really is.

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“To start being wise you must first get wisdom.  No matter what it costs, get understanding.” Proverbs 4:7 NIRV
a. Knowledge             b. Courage                 c. Oz