Prince...

Hey now...I gave 2 sermons last week (Monday night and Sunday morning). They did not cover the same topics at all. As for the second point, I'm hoping to take a trip to Cyprus after Seminary because the only person I know teaching "Essenic" techniques lives there. Her students in the US stopped writing back to me, so I have to go to the source. Jesus certainly charged. For one, Judas carried the money box. So people were donating money to Jesus. Second, you always read Jesus stayed with this person, Jesus ate with that person. Jesus traveled from town to town teaching in the city centers and in the temples. Someone had to cover his expenses. He had over 150 followers, someone was feeding and providing shelter for his entourage. Yes, he taught for free, but those day to day expenses were being covered by someone. Trust me, someone always pays.

I wouldn't say so...It's speaking in what most would consider an unknown tongue--which is different from what occurred on the day of Pentacost when Jesus disciples spoke in tongues-- they were speaking in the various languages used in that area-- Aramaic, Latin, Greek, and whatever else the people spoke. Doubting Thomas was killed with a spear in the chest in India, so I would imagine that he was able to speak whatever language was being used in India in 1st century CE. Paul wrote in one of the gospels that a person who speaks in tongues edifies himself because no one else knows what they are saying. Sometimes I doubt if the person even knows. I've heard that it is fake--but my mother speaks in "tongues." I've seen her completely trance out while driving and do it. I have also seen her do it at will. She says it took a lot of time before she could really do it at will, though. Some Christians say Glossolalia is a higher form of prayer or a higher form of praise. I am quick to throw the bullshit flag when people say that to me. Personally, I think meditation is the highest form of prayer for Christians. Yes, I can make a lot of noise, but in the Bible, God always speaks in stillness. Sometimes Christians need to know when to shut the hell up and listen. hmmm...I might write a sermon about that one day,"Shut the Hell up and listen"

Interesting stuff you posted, Mike! Isn't the Bujinkan tied to Hatsumi? When I was studying at Jing's in San Diego, there was a Bujinkan class that met the same time as my Wingchun class. I always thought they did cool stuff. I guess I can understand the importance of having a lineage and all, but I don't see what's the big deal of just saying "hey, we took all this stuff and mix-matched it together because it works for me!" Mike, I was wondering if you have any opinion on the Bujinkan (or anyone else reading this thread). I always thought Kosta was involved with them for awhile. I started out Wingchun, so I know how politics can ruin a good art. I liked some of the joint locks and stuff that I used to see when I was SUPPOSED to be doing Wingchun...haha. A lot of times we were standing there doing the Sil Lum Tau forever and I was watching them like ,"man, I'd rather be rolling around and throwing people," plus they had more girls. The best word of advice anyone has ever given me about choosing a martial art to study-- if you don't see any women, leave. But yeah, is it at least a good art? Can you get a good workout from it? I'm moving soon and found a Bujinkan school--wanted to check it out. I also found a Wingchun school and a Taichi teacher with ties to the Yang Family. Would love to keep doing Tai Chi, but it's a big hassle to get to the classes-- would love to get back into Wingchun, but I found the teacher talking a lot of mess on some MA message boards-- my last Wingchun teacher said not to get involved in those kinds of debates and I tend to avoid people who do. But yeah...I could give a shit about history...I talk to a hot blond that is way out of my league, if I get jumped with her, I don't care if Yim Wingchun was a fairy tale or some Japanese doctor/ninja dude actually existed, I'd just be concerned with having the wits to make it out of the situation alive hopefully as a result of some good training. Too many martial artists are dorks, though. That's why we have all this mess in the MA community. (random thought inserted at the end)

Hmmm...maybe you should order your wife a copy of this book. It was written by one of my teachers (and a mentor) who lead me to meditation. The original manuscript was for her dissertation for her Ph.D, and I remember her going over notes from the editor one afternoon while I was enrolled in her Intro to Asian Religions course. http://www.amazon.com/Journey-One-Buddhist...ntt_at_ep_dpt_1

Hey man, I read through all the advice that people have been offering you. How healthy are you in terms of physical fitness? I used to have the same thing happen when I was a teenager...if I'm working out a lot, depending on the woman, the same thing might happen to me at 29. Honestly, dude, you're okay...you're just as horny as hormone-driven teenager. Your girl makes you wet...that's a good thing. Pre-Cum is supposed to make your tract less acidic so it does not kill the sperm in your semen...if you really want some type of "remedy" I would suggest drinking more water so your urine is less acidic. Whatever you do, don't break up with your girlfriend. How are you gonna explain that one? "Hey babe, you turn me on too much and subconsciously my body wants to make babies with you, so I think we should break up."

I consider him to be a genius and a great orator. Unfortunately, many smart people are just freakin weird. I own his book on the Tao, which I haven't really read and his book Buddha Says which made me think a lot about the things he says about Judaism and Christianity.

Haha...yeah...that's the only one I know of. But as a minister-in-training, I have to say that it's what's wrong with the way Christianity is taught by the majority...not what I consider true Christian teachings. I'm working on my "pre-ordination" paperwork right now...the full ordination process takes 3 years in my church...and I'm already talking about analyzing decision making...understanding why we make mistakes versus getting hung up on them...sort of what Sifu taught my friend, who passed it on to me..."don't worry, just meditate."

20 minutes is okay! I used to meditate for only 15 minutes a day before bed. I have finally moved up to 20 minutes followed by prayer. I think it would be cool if i could sit for 30 or 45 minutes, but I don't really know what the advantages are...not right now. I'm just taking things in stride right now...the other night when my timer chimed, I felt like I could sit for another 5 minutes-- so maybe 20 minutes is not long enough now? I don't know...

Someone in my kungfu class back in California who introduced me to Qigong studies under a teacher. I don't know what exactly they do, i just know that he stresses consistency, that's about it. I have tried to adopt some of the things he's passed on to me from his teacher-- I have not learned any of their system-- I just mean advice on life. Christians get too hung up on sin and shortcomings. His teacher's advice to him about one of his "sins" was "don't worry about it, just keep meditating" Unfortunately I'm not at liberty to say who my friend's teacher is. I thought he was fairly famous, but I have only seen his name once on TB. I mentioned him a few times, but I had to remove his name here and from a few other sites. Honestly that was a bonehead decision on my part-- just because someone teaches publicly does not mean they don't want to keep their privacy intact.

Not me...it's nice to see gradual improvement, but I had an experience happen last summer that felt extremely pleasant, but the lingering effects scared me sh!tless. I have not said anything about it here, and the few people I have told did not believe me.

Right, I agree with what you said, Mike. If Lebron James decides to host a basketball camp and the advertisement says "Learn to play just like Lebron James," and people show up and can barely dribble a basketball, well...they will learn to play like Lebron James-- just not the Lebron James that is tearing up the Orlando Magic right now, but the one who started out learning to dribble as a little kid in Akron, OH. It is important to have the fundamentals down. If you try to run before you can walk, you're only going to make an @ss out of yourself. I hope this doesn't offend anyone, it's just the truth. Anyway, it's too bad that the o.p. does not feel like they got their money's worth. I considered attending this seminar as Atlanta is just a 5 hour drive, and my mom lives there. I'm not seeking to become a student or anything, I just think it's cool that y'all got to meet someone that can validate that Wang LiPing is real--and then you got to see him via web conference! Kathy, or is it Ms. Li? If it's cool with you, I'd love to hang out one day at your center when I'm in ATL later in the summer.

Reckless drivers drive recklessly regardless of what vehicle they drive. I think it is important to trust ones' teacher, but in the end the onus is on the student. I'm not understanding what you're trying to get across. Maybe I'm taking things out of context. I am going to work for my church. I have many teachers. I have to shadow ministers. I have to go to school and study with theologians. In a very real sense, I'm saying,"I'm stupider than you," because I have to learn the difference between the Sunday School Christianity that the average Christian believes and my own personal theology based on my own interpretations of the scriptures--unfortunately these tend to be very different and are not taught on Sunday morning. I have to learn Hebrew and Greek--things I don't know right now. Even in the context of cultivating...this is an interest of mine--something I feel is missing from most Christian's spiritual practice. Okay, you guys know what Tummo is and Reiki this and Qigong that are-- where I live, people have never heard of these words, much less know what they are. My cousin saw me reading "Reiki for dummies and asked me if that was the rapper Raekwon's cousin. How can I recommend something to someone without learning them from a teacher, picking their knowledge, and experimenting on my own? I understand some of what you're trying to say, but I remember learning to drive...I had a big safe Lincoln Continental on a back road where there wouldn't be much traffic with my Grandma in the passenger seat. I still nearly drove off the side of the road and almost wrecked her car. It wasn't because I felt safe and drove reckless. It was because I didn't have a clue what the hell I was doing...so she had to teach me and I had to practice.

Anything written by David Sedaris. You will laugh until you cry,pee your pants,or both. Also, that bookcase is SWEET! I want one of those when I finish school.

This is really unfortunate. There are some really pretty women in New Mexico, too.

Soybean burgers sounds damn good. Have you tried this?

I agree, if you have a swollen Johnson, you need to take your ass to medical...STAT.

I had to laugh when I read your post because I was in a similar situation when I was your age. Are you romantically involved with the friend in question? Do you want to be? How important is your friendship with them? Sometimes it is good to be brutally honest, but even when you are being sincere, you are giving your own opinion. If you keep on judging your friend, you will lose her. I said I was in the same situation, didn't I? I kept telling my friend to quit wasting her time waiting tables and clubbing, to go back to college and get her education. At one time she was being looked at by schools like Stanford. Now she is doing club promotions in Phoenix and making 6 figures a year while I'm a broke grad school student. It is important to fix yourself before you try to fix other people. Do you let people go down a path of destruction? Unfortunately sometimes you do. How did we learn not to touch the hot pot as babes? We had to find out on our own what it means to get burned. Learn to accept people as they are. I wished I had learned this lesson when I was younger. I took the "greater than thou" road that you are headed down and I lost my best friend.

Damn. I forgot all about it. I was planning to go to Dragon Park where they hold a free class every year. Oh well, there is a school with ties to the Yang family where I'll be living next year this time. I hope I'm around to make it out next year!

Our water cooler has a hot water setting. I usually put 2 tablespoons of honey and a cap full of lemon juice if we don't have any fresh cut lemon on hand. If I have a cold and it's late in the evening, I might add a half shot of Jack Daniels...that's a family remedy for the flu. Right now I'm really enjoying Raspberry Zinger. Probably not the answer the OP was looking for, but I'm southern and that's what I enjoy. It really irritates me when I can't get good iced tea in restaurants...and by good, I mean sweet tea that actually tastes sweet.

Nothing says get a life like 2 trolls who cosign for each other back and forth.

Thank you. As a Christian, I really find some of the opinions on these types of threads "Jesus was X or Jesus was teaching Y" to be really disrespectful. If I started topics "Buddha or Lao Tzu was a Muslim," I think half the posters here would shit bricks. Going to have to disagree with you. When I was younger, I was on the anti-Paul bandwagon. Now I am a bit older and I still really don't understand Paul's writings, but I've realized that a lot of the "Paulian Christian nonsense" probably came from wanna-be theologians who didn't either. I was going to comment on the "nonsense about literal resurrection and miracles," but I won't. All I will say is that Paul accepted beheading. Either he was a raving lunatic, or maybe, just maybe he was telling the truth. As for the rest of the companion-disciples...they were all martyrs with the exception of John, who survived being boiled alive and was exiled.

yeah...that's what I was trynna say to your "dude, wait what?" comment.

Only one way to find out...put up or shut up.

Wow Mike! So champagne is your drink, eh? One day I'll take a trip across the pond and we'll have some drinks and you can tell me some stories from your Mo Pai days...yeah, I know what you said...who cares about that John Chang guy...I want to hear the good ones about Kostas punching kungfu masters in the face! I'm a psuedo martial artist, so I don't have any good stories...but I was in the Navy (and may go back pending the outcome of my med board), so I'll trade you a kick-ass Kostas story for a "well, a guy on my ship got drunk in Singapore and met this girl who was guy from the waist down..." hahaha, yeah, I know I'm almost a pastor, but I still have a sense of humor and that's just too funny~