How Bruce Lee shaped my ministry (conclusion)
Welcome back, Dojo readers!
Sorry for the delay in posting the conclusion to this series; I’ve been busy promoting Frank’s Fight and teaching two classes at church. But I haven’t forgotten about our look at Bruce Lee and his influence on the ministry of Disciple Dojo!
If you’re just tuning in, here are the previous links. Read them first, so you’ll know what we’ve discussed so far:
- For part 1 (intro) click HERE.
- For part 2 (authenticity) click HERE.
- For part 3 (getting to the root) click HERE.
- For part 4 (not being bound by tradition) click HERE.
- For part 5 (not ignoring tradition either) click HERE.
The final point I want to look at in terms of how Bruce’s martial arts philosophy has shaped my outlook on ministry is his insistence on the importance of relationship.
Many traditional styles of martial arts could be practiced alone through the memorization and repetition of various choreographed movements called “forms” (or kata). Forms were created to be a simulated response to predetermined attacks from individual or multiple opponents. They range from basic one-step responses to very elaborate and beautiful patterns consisting of dozens of moves.
Forms can be an intense part of training. My own early martial arts training was dominated by forms competition (SGKC Green Belt Kids Forms Champion 1990…yeah, I’m kind of a big deal! 😉 ). Forms can be very impressive and often demonstrate a tremendous degree of technical skill, balance and focus. Here’s an example:
Forms can give the appearance that someone is a true master of the martial arts. And Bruce himself was quite familiar with a number of them, as he demonstrated in his screen test for The Green Hornet (starts at the 7:30 min mark):
And forms aren’t the only method of solo training available to martial artists. There are a variety of training tools and pieces of equipment which were created to mimic an opponent and upon which one could hone their fighting skills.
The wooden man was popular among traditional Chinese arts…
Whereas western boxers and kickboxers preferred striking a hanging heavy bag…
(Bruce even had his famous homemade one that weighed 300 lbs!)
And in various Asian martial arts, there were a number of targets and striking surfaces which practitioners would hit repetitively in order to build power, bone-density, and toughness in their hands and feet:
All of these things had their place in training and were beneficial to the martial artist.
However…
Bruce understood that the purpose of martial arts training was ultimately to be able to skillfully overcome a live flesh-and-blood opponent. All of these individual solo training techniques and devices were simply means to an end. They were not the end in and of themselves.
A fight was, at its core, a relationship between two (or more) people. Thus to be a better fighter, Bruce was adamant that one needed to train within such relationship. One could not understand true martial arts (or anything in life for that matter) apart from relationships:
“Relationship is understanding. It is a process of self-revelation. Relationship is the mirror in which you discover yourself—to be is to be related.” TJKD, 15
—
“Acceptance, denial and conviction prevent understanding. Let your mind move together with another’s in understanding with sensitivity. Then, there is a possibility of real communication. To understand one another, there must be a state of choiceless awareness where there is no sense of comparison or condemnation, no waiting for a further development of discussion in order to agree or disagree. Above all, don’t start from a conclusion.” TJKD, 19
—
“Understanding oneself happens through a process of relationships and not through isolation.”
“To know oneself is to study oneself in action with another person.” TJKD, 20
It was this dedication to training in relationship to others that made many martial artists appreciate and gravitate toward Bruce Lee, despite his young age. He had tapped into something that many forms of martial arts had largely neglected–the need for open, fluid, adaptable interaction with other human beings.
Relationships.
So what does this have to do with the ministry? And particularly with the ministry of Disciple Dojo?
Everything!
When I discuss, write, speak or teach on a topic–whether theological, cultural or ethical–I strive to keep in mind that the goal of any such communication is to interact with other living, breathing, thinking, feeling human beings.
Some Christians approach ministry, particularly writing, blogging or teaching online, as an exercise in eloquence, a problem to be solved, or a statement to be made. In formulating their arguments and positions, they sometimes seem to forget that they are speaking or writing to real people.
This can be seen especially in public or “open-air” preaching.
It’s very common for Christians who feel called to preach in public settings to simply declare a message in the loudest and most visible manner–using things like sandwich boards, bullhorns or large signs on poles.
Of course there’s nothing inherently wrong with any of these things, and many social evils have been brought down in part through the use of effective visible, even controversial public demonstrations and preaching:
However, I have often seen public preachers, speakers, debaters and evangelists engage in totally one-way communication with their audience.
Volume is substituted for interaction.
Questions from the person listening are ignored or danced around in order to preserve a sense of control.
And honestly, things can often get pretty ugly.
This can make for a visible scene and can generate some attention (as almost all controversy or heated exchanges in public have a tendency to do)…but what is often missing is relationship or at the very least a willingness to even enter into relationship with one’s “opponent.”
Now lest anyone think I’m dismissing open-air preaching or debate in general, I want to be clear that I believe in it very strongly. During my final year of college and throughout seminary, I would regularly do open-air preaching. College campuses, Harvard Square, downtown Cambridge U.K., I have had the pleasure of ministering in the open-air on many occasions…but each time, I tried to be intentional about seeking to build relationships with those to whom I was speaking. In fact, one incident stands out vividly in my mind as an illustration of how important relationships are even in public ministry.
I was taking a Summer course at Cambridge in England back in 2003 on the history of early Methodism and its connection with modern renewal movements in the church (yeah, I know…it sounds fascinating! But to a seminary geek like I assure you it was just that! :)). During first week of the course, my fellow students (most of whom were Methodist Pastors finishing up their degree requirements) found out that I did “street preaching.”
“You mean standing around yelling at people and holding up a big sign??” one of them asked over dinner.
“Nah, man. I just go out and start talking about the Gospel and then engage whoever responds.” I said.
Most of my classmates had only seen the former; none had seen the latter.
“Okay, you’re all Methodist preachers…and Methodism BEGAN through open-air preaching by Whitfield and the Wesleys! So before we’re done here, we’re gonna go do it ourselves!” I said.
So on the last weekend of the course, a handful of us headed downtown to the heart of Cambridge and I began to preach to the people passing through.
At first no one stopped to listen, but after a few minutes I noticed some girls sitting nearby who were paying attention and a bit puzzled by this Yank standing on the sidewalk preaching to no one in particular.
I turned to them and said hi. I introduced myself and asked them how they were doing and what their names were. The one closest to me answered that her name was Frankie and that she and her friends were exchange students from Germany. They were very nice and we chatted for a few minutes about their beliefs and what I was doing there.
As more people gathered around to listen to our exchange, I was able to start taking questions from people and discussing the Gospel message and why I was doing what I was doing and things like that. My classmates were able to have all kinds of discussions with people who would stop and listen for a bit and it ended up being a really good experience (I only had one heckler…and from the smell of his breath, he had just come from the pub and was more angry that I was American, than that I was a Christian, I think!).
After a couple of hours during a lull in foot traffic, I took a break and went over to where Frankie and her friends had been sitting for a quick rest.
The vendor who had been selling hotdogs from his old-fashioned hotdog stand about 30 feet away the whole time came over and handed me a can of Coca-Cola.
“Thanks so much!” I said (I was definitely thirsty and had forgotten to bring a water bottle!)
“I just wanted to say thank you. You’re the first person I’ve heard preach here who was actually nice.” he said. “Usually the old guys that stand here just shout and ignore everyone who tries to question them.”
I told him that I believe there’s no reason one can’t preach AND be pleasant, respectful and even smile while doing so. I thanked him again and he went back over to his cart.
I had more interactions with people that day, but this one was the one that stood out the most to me because it forever cemented into my mind the importance of seeking relationships…even with those you find yourself disagreeing with, and even (or rather, especially!) during public ministry.
So what does this have to do with Bruce Lee?
Well…a person can practice forms until they’re drenched in sweat and their muscles are dead. They can hit a heavy bag or makiwara target until their knuckles bleed. But if they never seek to truly engage an opponent in real relationship (be it in training or in competition), they may be able to fool people into thinking they are genuine masters, but they will never be effective at the very thing that martial arts training is supposed to develop. They’ve missed the heart of what it is they started out seeking in the first place.
Likewise, a Christian preacher, teacher or author can read all the works of Biblical scholarship they get their hands on. They can listen to sermons by the best preachers in history for hours on end. They can practice their rhetorical skill in the mirror or in writing until it rivals the greatest speeches ever given. They can shout and debate and verbally berate people with wit that would make G.K. Chesterton jealous. And many people will look at them as skilled preachers or gifted teachers. But if they never seek to truly engage their listeners/readers in real relationship–if they only seek to be heard rather than to hear; if they only seek to influence rather than be influenced; if they only seek to teach rather than learn–then they have missed the very heart of what they have been called to do.
At the core of all true ministry is relationship.
For it is in relationship with others that we find out who we truly are and what we truly believe.
Much more could be said about the concepts we’ve looked at in this series…and perhaps one day a book will come about as a result. But for now I want to end things by encouraging every Dojo reader out there to be ready to find truth in even the most unlikely places and to be open all the ways through which the Spirit may move in your life.
Maintain a “pliable awareness”, as Bruce Lee would call it.
Listen to voices of tradition, but do not be bound by them.
Seek to discern the root, the core issue, in any conflict, debate, or problem.
And most of all, strive to live in relationship–genuine relationship–with everyone around you, realizing that it is only through relationships with others that we fully experience life as our Creator intended it.
Thanks for reading and sharing, and as always…
Blessings from the Dojo,
JM
Categories: Arts and Culture, Blog, Martial Arts, Ministry, Theological issues
This article is wonderful in these ways:
1. It expresses the essence of eternal life
2. It gives a litmus test for experiencing truth
3. It reveals the very personality of God
–Jesus said eternal life is knowing him and the Father.
–He described Himself as the way, the truth, and the life, making truth much more than an abstract concept or standard, but a person, The Person.
–We see God “coming down” and relating throughout scripture. In fact, in Revelation, the zenith of all reality is God with His people, face to face.
Often when I write articles I assume that if I’m “off,” you’ll call me on it. If I hadn’t heard from you, then most likely I’m not a heretic! 🙂 So I very much value our relationship as a means of not only deep spiritual companionship, but because I feel you keep me real.
Peace my brother.
by Olatunde on Oct 7, 2012 at 8:48 pm
Thanks so much for the affirmation, man! And yes, you are heresy-free in my book! haha
by jm on Oct 8, 2012 at 7:28 pm