The Great Exchange
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Faith-based Self-Defense for Girls
PODCAST TIME!!! Clearly, I’m working on my interview skills, so bear with me as you listen to a radio interview between myself and a delightful host at a Christian radio station in California. We talked about faith-based self-defense for girls.
I’ve posted the entire interview on my Podcast. Besides sharing online self-defense and life skills for girls at The Great Flip, I was given the opportunity to go deeper about my desire to develop faith-based motivation resources to compliment the online self-defense program. Feel free to share!
Faith-based Self-defense
In the interview, I tried to communicate a few reasons for making GRACE a central theme at The Great Flip. Understanding GRACE is foundational to the Christian faith. And I want girls to be fully grounded in her knowledge of GRACE. Once GRACE has a firm foundation in a girl’s heart, she will know her freedom in Christ is marked not by her works, but instead by Jesus’s life, death and resurrection, and most important by His finished work.
Keep your ears open for an important distinction I make about Christianity. Listen for words about “law,” which are activities and works girls feel obligated to do to earn something. Then listen carefully for GRACE, which is freely given to us from God, no strings attached.
GRACE-based Faith
As Christians we are saved by GRACE through faith as Ephesians 2:8-9 states “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
Simply put, Jesus + nothing = everything. On the contrary Jesus + something = nothing. And by the way, as a subscriber to The Great Flip, you have access to a series of messages that dig deep into this equation: Jesus + nothing = everything! Click here for 2 Ways to Join and Subscribe now.
A Parable about GRACE
Here’s something amazing about GRACE illustrated in one of Jesus’ parables in the Gospel of Mark 2.
“No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the patch tears away from it, the new from the old and a worse tear is made. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins – and wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins.” Mark 2:21-22
Jesus tells an unusual parable comparing old clothes and new patches and old and new wineskins. He says the two cannot mix. Jesus was trying to enlighten the Pharisees who continued to question his “new” way of doing things. They were trying to add GRACE into their equation and traditions.
A more contemporary expression might be “Out with the old and in with the new.”
Any religion that requires you to do something to earn something is driven by law. It’s exhausting. Unfortunately, even some Christians get caught in works-based religion.
However, Jesus came to offer GRACE. His death, resurrection and ascension frees us from the law. He is not adding more to the law. He has replaced the law with GRACE. The only good that comes from the law, is its ability to point you immediately to GRACE!
Read these Bible verses to understand GRACE.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away, behold, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17
“And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh…” Ezekiel 11:19
Now, back to the parable about garments and wineskins. We can’t patch our garments. Jesus wants to give us a brand-new jacket. His robe of righteousness.
Listen up girls, don’t just add GRACE to your Christian life. Give him your burdens, your anxiety and all the “to-do” lists. He gives amazing GRACE and it’s free. Get rid of the old and receive the new. If you try and add GRACE to your “to-do” list, you will burst with stress and anxiety. Receive it freely. Rest in his GRACE.
This is The Great Flip, “For our sake, He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21
Why have I continued to capitalize the word GRACE? Here’s an acronym to help you remember the depths of God’s GRACE.
God’s
Riches
At
Christ’s
Expense
Activity:
Find and write the Bible verses in this blog on note cards or in a journal. Memorize your favorite one. What promises do you hear in these verses for you? Thank God for his amazing GRACE through Jesus Christ.
See you on the mat! – Coach Jody
Marvel-ous Grace
What do Marvel movies, Jurassic Park movies and the TV show Parks and Recreation have in common with the biblical expression of Grace? Probably not much, except for a powerful speech given by the actor who plays the top role in all of them. This summer, actor Chris Pratt won the MTV Generational Award. I’m not much of an MTV watcher, ok, I don’t watch it at all, but Pratt’s speech went viral and caught my attention. I think you’ll appreciate his courage to speak about his faith in front of a counter-culture audience. And you’ll get a beautiful glimpse at his understanding of God’s love expressed through grace.
Pratt presented his unique “Nine Rules by Chris Pratt.” He began with common-sense advice with number one; “Breathe, if you don’t, you’ll suffocate.” Then rule number two, “You have a soul. Be careful with it.” Then in perfect Chris Pratt style, rule number three, “Don’t be a turd.”
Now, if you are unfamiliar with Pratt, this line of communication may seem crude, but this is exactly the style that makes him a straight-shooter and down-right charming. If you know Pratt, you immediately appreciate his candor and comedic edge. By the way, his PG-13 Marvel movie “Guardians of the Galaxy” embodies this larger than life personality.
Then Pratt presented his faith in biblical proportion! Rule number six “God is real. God loves you. God wants the best for you. Believe that. I do,” Pratt proclaimed. He followed up with “Learn to pray. It’s easy and its good for your soul.”
But his final rule, rule nine, was by far, my favorite rule. He began with this statement, “Nobody’s perfect.” He continued, “People are gonna tell you, you’re perfect just the way that you are … you’re not! You’re imperfect. You always will be, but there is a powerful force that designed you that way, and if you are willing to accept that, you will have grace. And grace is a gift. Like the freedom that we enjoy in this country, that grace was paid for with somebody else’s blood. Do not forget it. Don’t take it for granted.”
To see the entire speech, here’s the link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EihqXHqxri0
Okay, this is me talking now, I truly believe if we teach, model and express biblical “grace” to our children, we will see healing unfold before our very eyes in the next generation. Give people the same free gift of grace that you once received (by faith). The Bible has an awesome verse that says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” I bet Chris Pratt knows this one!
Want to learn more about Biblical grace? Read my blog called “Why The Great Flip?”
Why The Great Flip?
Why The Great Flip (TGF)? My daughter created the name “The Great Flip.” She said learning Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) will turn a girl’s self-defense game upside down! BJJ empowers girls with techniques so that a smaller, weaker person can overcome a larger opponent. TGF allows girls to feel empowered, confident and brave learning a new life skill like self-defense. But there is so much more …
The Great Exchange
But most important, when a girl reads the words “The Great Flip,” she will learn that Jesus turned the world upside down for her. The Great Flip is about The Gospel!
Martin Luther, the great reformer, summarized the Christian faith using the Bible verse from the New Testament in 2 Corinthians 5:21:
“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21
He called it The Great Exchange. I call it The Great Flip.
Flipped by Grace
I want girls to not only learn an effective martial art, but I want girls to have a safe place to find encouragement and motivation. The gospel of Jesus Christ is all about grace; the free and unmerited favor of God.
Here at The Great Flip, girls will receive unconditional love and acceptance, no matter her past, present and future. I want girls to grow in grace with herself, with others and discover the unconditional message of God’s grace for every person, every where.
If you are not a Christian, I encourage you to meet me on the mat and continue your self-defense journey. Everyone is welcome. Consider the spiritual content something to meditate and reflect upon while you learn a new life skill.
Stay with me and I’ll peel back the worldview and give you a glimpse of God’s view through the lens of grace. As part of your subscription to The Great Flip, you’ll have unlimited access to all the self defense videos, and in addition, you’ll gain access to subscriber-only content and resources which digs deep into grace. I have many amazing Christian friends who will be sharing their expertise in grace-filled living, prayer, mission and so much more.
Grace is everywhere to be discovered!
Did you read my post about MTV Generational Award Winner, Chris Pratt? He’s the movie star in Marvel Movie “Guardians of the Galaxy” and movie thriller Jurassic Park. He shares his take on grace in the least likely place. Check it out https://thegreatflip.com/marvel-ous-grace/
Are you familiar with Christian Singer Lauren Daigle? Her journey to stardom is a living testimony, but some Christians have been critical about her success. I wrote a response “gracefully” to her critics. Check it out at this link.
I’d like to share your stories and life lessons as you’ve been touched by grace. Send me a note through the Contact form or follow me on social media on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thegreatflip/
and use the hashtag #thegreatflip @thegreatflip
Click on 2 Ways to Join! See you on the mat!
Blessings,
Coach Jody
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