Grace in a cage II: The problem of [inflicting] pain

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Christ, christian life, combat sports, heart, Mixed martial arts, MMA, violence

Welcome back to the Grace in a cage series, sorry for the long break since the last post. At the start of this post it would be useful to clarify what I mean by Mixed Martial Arts, for those unfamiliar with it. Perhaps the concept of MMA conjures up images of the Fight Club basement antics of Brad Pitt  (then so fresh-faced and unsullied by banal perfume ads) or maybe some flailing gypsies on Channel 4. If so go read the first paragraph or so of wikipedia’s entry, then come back. And if you already know your omoplata from your superman punch then stay right here.

One of us needs to change

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change, God, renewal

The tools of our fathers

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Family, grandad, grandparents, hand tools, inheritance, memory, record, restoration, woodwork

The other day I asked my Nan whether it would be all right to take some of the tools from the tool shed in her garden. She said that Grandad (Not the one from in Stored up) would probably like me to have them, if I looked after them. Aside from a few tools that went to my uncle, the shed is as Grandad left it when he died – a couple of months after I was born, 25 years ago.

Me and Grandad

Who riding on a what?

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animal game, conan, drawing, fantasy art, humour, ice breaker, small group

I came up with an icebreaker game for my church small group a few years ago. Everyone writes their name down on a slip of paper and throws it in the middle. Everyone writes an animal/bird/sea creature down and throws that in the middle. Shuffle slips. Everyone picks a name and an animal. They draw the person riding the animal. When the time is up, everyone displays their artwork and receives a picture of themselves mounted on one of God’s good creatures.

25cm x 2.5cm of sympathy

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departure, observation, passing, post, scavenging, sympathy

Cashier number two cashed the cheque and slid a receipt beneath the Perspex divide, her eyes never leaving the small old lady standing across the post office counter.
- And when did it happen?
- A week and a half ago now. And we can’t have the funeral until Tuesday next week.

Grace in a Cage: MMA + Jesus = ?

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Christ, combat sports, love, Mixed martial arts, MMA, scripture, violence

Welcome to Grace in a Cage – the series asking:

Is the world of mixed martial arts compatible with living for Christ?

It is a question I have asked myself for a while. Last year I read Liam Thatcher’s excellent post Who would Jesus punch?, a response to American pastor Mark Driscoll’s A Christian evaluation of mixed martial arts. Give them both a read if you have time. This is from Liam’s post;

Crusty Yaps

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childhood, creativity, crusty yaps, naming, pies, sleep talk

Once when my sister Joely was about four years old, my mum checked on her in the night to see if she was alright. Joely seemed agitated, and when asked what the matter was, told my Mum “It’s the crusty yaps” before going back to sleep.

Oh Jemima

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childhood, makeup, performance, rhymes

Oh, Jemima, look at your Uncle Jim
He’s in the duck pond, learning how to swim.
First he’s on his left leg, then he’s on his right
Now he’s on a bar of soap, slipping out of sight.

I learnt this merry rhyme early on in childhood. It must have been held in high regard by me because soon after, while my parents and I stayed with family friends for a week, I taught it to two of their children, both a couple years older than myself. Having rapidly memorised the succinct quatrain, they were keen to perform the rhyme to both our sets of parents, complete with visual interpretation of its madcap larks. I was a fairly shy chap, not overly keen on public performances with myself on the wrong side of the fourth wall, but I half-heartedly agreed to join them.