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if it's not good news, it's not the gospel

If it’s not good news, it’s not the gospel.

It’s time for the great flip

I finally understand why people attend church twice a year; once for Christmas and once for Easter. There is a common message preached on those two church holidays. The theme is what makes church palatable twice a year. I believe If the church proclaimed this theme every Sunday, churches might be a little fuller. If this message was the foundation of every Christian lifestyle, more people might be attracted to the Christian faith.

 

The message is simple:  Jesus loves you. He loves you no matter what. No amount of darkness, shame or brokenness can stop Jesus from loving you. And you don’t have to love him back. He still loves you. And more than 2,000 years ago, He rescued you, restored you and gave you new life now and into eternity. This good news is worth repeating more than twice a year. And this good news is a free gift for you.

The narrative of the Bible is the same good news over and over again. In short, God created the world and gave it to his people as a gift. And it was good. But his people turned away from God. But God, because of his loving kindness, rescued his people. He restored his people and gave them a way of life that brings balance and blessing. He protected his people. But again, his people turn away from Him. Shockingly living life apart from God led to darkness, shame and brokenness. But God, because of his loving kindness, rescued his people again. This happened over and over in the Bible narrative.

if it's not good news, it's not the gospel

Then something amazing happened, God sent his son, Jesus (Merry Christmas) to put an end to our cycle of rebellion. Jesus ushered into the world a divine rescue, redemption and restoration plan. He demonstrated a perfectly balanced and blessed life. He demonstrated a life full of love and mercy. And this divine plan was a gift to us.

 

Then, (here comes Holy Week and Good Friday) Jesus took our darkness, shame and brokenness. He took all our sin. He didn’t ask permission. Like a holy thief, Jesus stole our sin to bury it once and for all.

 

After he took our sin, he became our sin. His body became the sin of the world. His blood was poured out for the forgiveness of all our sin. This happened when he was crucified on a cross. Then, along with his body and blood, our sins were buried in the tomb. The entire narrative of the Bible leads to this epic moment on the cross.  We are no longer separated from God because of our sin.

 

Then, (Happy Easter) Jesus rose from the dead. He arose out of the tomb and left the sin of the world buried once and for all. He arose with a new life. Now he gives us that same new life. Jesus conquered death, darkness, shame and brokenness. We have fullness of life through Christ’s atoning work on the cross.

 

Yet, the story is not quite over. Jesus promises to come back to complete the rescue mission. Make no mistake, he has conquered death. We live in a new kingdom always moving closer to full restoration. He gave us his spirit so we can continue to receive his gifts and live a balanced and blessed life. Even in the midst of death, darkness, shame and brokenness, we can proclaim his good news and share the good gifts with everyone around us.

It’s an epic story. It’s a true story. I love hearing it over and over again. I love it because it doesn’t require any thing from me. I get to sit back and be lavished with God’s love. The good news reminds me I’m rescued, redeemed and restored with new life now and into eternity in heaven with him.

The word “gospel” means good news. It’s good news for so many reasons, but for me, it’s good news because the love of the Father through his Son, Jesus Christ and the power of his Holy Spirit is all a free gift for me. I didn’t deserve it. Now, I want to share this gift with everyone I know!

If it’s not good news, it’s not the gospel.

But something happens on the other 51 Sundays. Side note, the year 2020 had 53 Sundays. So give or take a Sunday or two, something goes terribly wrong.

The narrative of God’s epic rescue shifts to man’s epic effort to earn God’s love. Suddenly a “pay-to-stay” salvation plan is handed to us. Now, we strive and serve God to please him. The gifts meant to bring blessing become a burden. And this is when a lot of people stop attending church. People are smart. They hear the contradiction. See you next year.

Ironically, this is not a new story. Jesus spent a majority of his ministry restoring the good news. The religious leaders of the day turned the ten commandments into hundreds of commandments. Originally, the commandments were given as gifts to create balance and blessing, but church leaders turned them into unachievable laws. Habits like prayer, fasting, tithing and Sabbath were gifts as means to worship God with all our senses. Now they’ve become rituals. Even repentance is a gift. God, in his mercy, turns us away from unhealthy things (He does the work). Repentance is a time given by God to reflect and remember his loving kindness (remember Holy Week and Good Friday). But we have turned it into an act of labor done to earn forgiveness. Remember that holy thief called Jesus? He took your sin. He was crucified for it and gave you new life. We don’t earn forgiveness, we receive it as a free gift.

 

Reformations have occurred in church history to restore the good news.  Martin Luther attempted to restore the central theme of good news. He referred to the gospel as the Divine Exchange. Jesus became all my sin, and I become all of Jesus’ righteousness. And this work is Christ’s alone. And this is a gift so no one can boast or earn it.

Maybe it’s time for another reformation. Like Martin Luthers’ Divine Exchange, I like to call it The Great Flip. Jesus is the gift giver and I’m the gift receiver.  It’s time to get ourselves out of the equation and restore Jesus as the sole gift-giver.

The equation is not: Jesus + something = Everything. 

The equation is: Jesus + nothing = Everything.

The gospel cost Jesus everything. It didn’t cost you anything.

A popular illustration that needs a good comeback is the “Do vs. Done” principle. If you think you must “do” something to earn God’s love, then it’s not gospel. The gospel is this: “Jesus has “done” everything for you.

When “Christian living” becomes something you do to earn God’s love, it is no longer a gift. This is why we give presents at Christmas and Easter as symbols of God’s extravagant love for us.  Christian living will proceed from our freedom in Christ.

And the gifts just keep coming! If you think you must muster up enough faith to believe everything I just said … good news! “Faith comes by hearing and by hearing the word of Christ.” Even faith is a gift. So when you read the Bible, read it as one receiving gifts rather than a list of rules. Read it to receive his loving kindness, to receive his forgiveness and receive his way of life that brings balance and blessing. And read it to share the good news with others.

Happy Easter (and Christmas too, if I don’t hear from you until next year)! May the good news of Jesus Christ “gift” you all year long. He loves you.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave … “ John 3:16

-Coach Jody

 

 

 

 

 

the great flip in your American Heritage Girls Troop Meeting

The Great Flip in your American Heritage Girls Troop

In this blog, you can learn more about the AHG & The Great Flip relationship. You will learn how AHG troops are implementing The Great Flip into their troop experience. You will learn how girls are using The Great Flip for leadership opportunities, how the older girls, aka Pi/Pa’s are completing the self-defense requirement in the Emergency Preparedness Badge and earning the Martial Arts Sports Pin.

If you have more ideas, please share them with me and I’ll add them to this blog!

The Great Flip is online self defense and life skills for girls ages six and up and I am honored to be a national program alliance for American Heritage Girls.

If you are considering bringing self-defense training into your home and troop experience, let’s look first at safety. It is my goal to give girls confidence and courage while you create a safe experience.

  • soft mats
  • sanitizer wipes or spray
  • comfortable clothes
  • no shoes or socks when training on the mats
  • no jewelry
  • hair in a ponytail
  • a training partner
  • a teachable and willing attitude!

Earn the Martial Arts Sports Pin

martial arts sports pin

When you purchase any of my online martial arts plans, you gain access to everything you need to earn the AHG Martial Arts Sports Pin! A PDF document from your AHG handbook about the Martial Arts Sports Pin, along with all the videos you need earn this pin.

Pi/Pa’s can earn the “self-defense” requirement in the Emergency Preparedness Badge with either plan.

Virtual Troop Meetings

Everyone can practice at home with The Great Flip!

Girl Leadership

The Great Flip offers a great opportunity for girl-led activities in your AHG Troop. Whether a girl or a parent leads the instructional videos, she MUST preview and practice the techniques before teaching anyone else.

“The girls really enjoyed the program. My daughter used it as her Community Outreach project to receive the Harriet Tubman award. She practiced with the videos every day for a over month, then led the girls along with the videos and helped them learn and practice the techniques. Thanks so much for such an awesome program. Everyone enjoyed it!” – Jennifer O’Brien, AHG Troop Leader

Special Event

The 12-video series can be completed during a 1.5-hour workshop format. Each video is approximately three minutes. Girls can practice the techniques for 5-10 minutes, then move on to the next technique.

Father/Daughter Event & Mother/Daughter Event

The Great Flip offers an empowering and interactive event for girls to do with mom or dad!

Unit Meeting

Tenderhearts through Patriots can learn self-defense skills during a Unit meeting. You can complete one technique per meeting or work on several techniques.

Pre and Post Meeting Fitness Stations

Give the girls something fun to do before or after Troop meetings. Learn one or two techniques per meeting! And this is a great place for girl leadership to shine!

Don’t forget to order patches!

Go to Merchandise and place your order.

Click here to choose a self-defense plan that works best for your AHG troop

To keep the program affordable, Coach Jody allows a membership plan to be shared within an AHG troop. Please consider supporting Coach Jody. Click here.

Thank you 😍🇺🇸 – Coach Jody

Request a Free Video

In less than three minutes you can learn this self-defense technique

Every video from The Great Flip is less than three minutes. And in every video, you will learn a simple and empowering self-defense skill inspired by the martial art called Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Ready to give it a try?  In less than three minutes you can learn this self-defense technique. Find a training partner and get ready to learn the Wrist Escape technique:

Hi friends, I’m Coach Jody! I will be your guide and coach in the online self-defense courses from The Great Flip. My video library has more than 40 empowering self-defense movements and techniques. And I continue to grow the library each month. Each video is designed so you can learn a self-defense technique in less than three minutes. Once you subscribe to an online course, your videos will stream from Vimeo.

It is my hope to introduce you and your child to self-defense inspired by the martial art called Brazilian jiu-jitsu, which is proven to be one of the best martial arts because of its focus on real-to-life self-defense situations, ability to live drill and focus on ground “grappling” situations.

Self-defense training is like any other sport. It takes practice. You can’t expect to be the best at any sport without repetition and practice. But if your schedule is busy or your martial arts options are limited, expensive or sweaty (okay I’ll say it “smelly”), then my online self-defense training videos might be a great way to begin your journey.

Ready to learn more techniques? Click here to choose a self-defense training plan

Three easy steps to get started:

1. Choose your online self-defense videos.

2. Enroll.

3. Train.

 

Christian School and Homeschool Martial Arts

Adding a martial art unit to your Christian School and/or Homeschool schedule will fulfill your child’s physical education requirements and it adds a ton of value to your child’s character development. Instead of going out to a big box martial arts academy, bring the martial arts experience home. Here are a few reasons why:

  • It’s a fun and healthy outlet to release energy
  • It will improve focus on schoolwork
  • It will boost your child’s confidence
  • It will develop strength and flexibility
  • It will empower your child to overcome the fear of bullies
  • You control the schedule and expense
  • It offers a real-life application to self-defense
  • It’s a fun activity the whole family can enjoy during or as an after school enrichment
  • It puts you in control of the experience

Let’s begin with the last point, first; “Mom & Dad, you are in control of the experience.”

This was the most important benefit to me. Let me preface this with the fact that I have daughters. I was ultra-sensitive to the messaging at a particular martial arts academy. The environment was male-dominate, built for disciplining boys, and lacked emotional intelligence for motivating different personalities.

I wasn’t looking for a participation trophy for my girls, but I was looking for a place where girls could thrive safely. Depending on your child, he or she may not be ready for a co-ed training experience. As a homeschool parent and coach, you get to control the situation and the talking points. You know how to motivate and discipline your child. When you bring the martial arts experience home, you can teach the skills and motivate your child as you see fit. And of course, you get to control the cleanliness factor too; just saying.

Here are four tips to help you bring martial arts to your Christian School and/or homeschool.

Choose a martial art.

I was seeking a martial arts experience that would have a strong self-defense application for my daughters. I picked the martial art called Brazilian jiu-jitsu (Bjj). Bjj is a grappling sport which means there is a lot of ground movement, much like wrestling.

The overall strategy of Bjj is to control your opponent. It focuses on skills to take an opponent to the ground, controlling one’s opponent, gaining a dominant position, and using a number of techniques to force them into submission.

Studies show that 95 percent of street fights end on the ground. The techniques learned in Bjj enable participants to escape, attack or get into a more dominant position.

Bjj is also a martial art designed for a smaller, weaker practitioner to subdue much larger and stronger opponents. Participants use techniques and leveraging skills instead of relying on brute force. All martial arts provide confidence and courage, but only Bjj connects the sport to self-defense in a way that everyone, of all ages, can learn.

Create a training space.

You don’t need a large amount of space to train at home, but to protect the lamp and china, you might want to create a training/fitness space. I purchased interlocking mats. You can also find inexpensive three-fold gymnastic mats. If you want to get fancy and go all out, you can purchase professional Bjj mats. I spent $40 on two sets of interlocking mats. I have a basement/lower level in my house for my exercise space. Some people use their garage or a spare bedroom. Many homeschool families get together in their co-op and/or church to purchase mats and find a communal space to train together. Here’s a glimpse of my little training space at home: https://vimeo.com/289726478

 

Get a training partner.

You can begin with a few “no-contact” movements and warm-ups, but in order to get the most benefit from the experience, you need a training buddy.  Learning a martial art with your child can be a fun and rewarding experience. Inviting your child’s best friend and a group of friends enhances the experience.

Brazilian jiu-jitsu is referred to as the gentle martial art. You and your child can simulate real techniques in real-time with a low risk for injury. Of course, there’s always a risk, but Bjj lends itself to learning real self-defense skills with low risks. In my instructional videos, I focus on escaping, controlling and submitting techniques inspired by Bjj movements. Click here to request a free video.

  

Subscribe to a professional online self-defense/martial arts curriculum.

My husband and daughters inspired me to develop an online martial arts experience inspired by Bjj. After seven years of training Bjj and earning my purple belt, I took a leap of faith to bring martial arts to everyone with an online learning platform. My daughters appreciated the opportunity to train at home, train with trusted family and friends and feel empowered. Before launching The Great Flip, I did peek at YouTube, but all I found were sweaty guys filming from their garage. Most videos were designed for older boys and girls encouraging violent and aggressive self-defense tactics. I’m not opposed to aggressive behavior, but for my daughters, I wanted a level-headed approach to their training. Again, Bjj offered the best approach. Children as young as first grade through high school can benefit from my introductory approach. My teaching style is fun, playful and empowering. See you on the mat! – Coach Jody

Check out my streaming videos on Vimeo. Click here.

Contact me for a free lesson plan and videos. Click here.

Find a plan that works best for you. Click here. 

Jody Token is the creator and coach of The Great Flip, online self-defense, safety and faith-filled empowerment for girls ages six and up. Request a free video at www.thegreatflip.com

The Great Flip is an American Heritage Girls national program alliance.

Coach Jody is a contributing writer for True Girl, a ministry of Dannah Gresh. 

Coach Jody is featured on KFUO Radio “The Coffee Hour”

 

 
Gutsy Girls and The Great Flip

Gutsy Girls @ The Great Flip

Meet Amy L. Sullivan the author of “Gutsy Girls,” a children’s picture book series based on the lives of real Christian women who have impacted the world. The Gutsy Girls books introduce girls to five amazing women in history. And my favorite woman in history made the list! There is great synergy between gutsy girls and The Great Flip! Click the Play button to hear this fun Podcast conversation.

I love speaking with Christian woman who seek to raise up empowered Godly girls! And Amy is one of them. You can find her books on Amazon and other bookstores. Her personal website is https://amylsullivan.com/

If this is your first visit to The Great Flip

Welcome! Hi I’m Coach Jody. I introduce girls, ages six to 18, to self-defense inspired by the martial art called Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Pretty gutsy!

Coach Jody

Here at The Great Flip, you and your daughter can learn simple self-defense techniques by subscribing to my online instructional videos. Each video is less than three minutes and teach one simple self-defense technique. Give one a try right now. Let’s learn the Wrist Escape.

Ready to learn more? Feel free to explore my website and get to know more about The Great Flip. I offer nutrition resources and faith-based motivation.

Click 2 Ways to Join here or at the top of the page to get started.

If you are not familiar with Brazilian jiu-jitsu, that’s okay. It was a new concept to me too. But after a lot of research, my husband and I discovered jiu-jitsu and learned it was the best martial art for our daughters because it addresses the ground game situation like no other martial art. Don’t get me wrong, karate and taekwondo are fun, but are not real to life when it comes to self-defense. And Krav Maga looks good in theory, but you better be bigger and stronger and probably faster if you want to be successful at it. Brazilian jiu-jitsu equips a smaller person to overcome a larger person by learning techniques. I’d like to introduce you to this martial art within the safety of your home and or group of friends.

Why Brazilian Jiu-jitsu?

I have 12 videos to begin your online self-defense training as a non-subscriber. Click here to see this option

I have more than 20 videos to expand your online self-defense training and many more resources as a subscriber. Click here to see this option

I have a blog about how to set up a home gym and simple training space at home (trust me, I have a very simple space). Check this out!

The Great Flip is a National Program Alliance for American Heritage Girls!

See you on the mat! – Coach Jody

Follow me on social media @thegreatflip