RECCE ROOM

This past weekend, my High School graduating class celebrated our 20-year reunion. Naturally, we actually graduated 21 years ago this May. But, that's our class for you. Every one of the other nine classmates that showed up commented on how much weight I'd lost. That felt good to hear. Some of them had done the same, some hadn't. It didn't really matter. One guy I was close to in High School, but drifted away from afterwards just got married last year. It was indicated that this was his first marriage. Good for him. 75% of the conversation at dinner was about our children, and with only two notable exceptions, none of us had met any of the other folks' children. We had 35 in our graduating class. 11 guys. Saturday night, there were 3 guys, and ten of us total. All three of us guys, and about half the girls are now into guns or carry regularly. That surprised me in a positive way. This one was organized far better than my 10-year reunion. On that day, I g...

Funny conversation between my wife, a neighbor, and another lady - all three are moms of Daisy scouts in the same troop. They and their daughters are at a store, selling Girl Scout cookies, when the other lady spots a man legally carrying a GLOCK in a holster. The man was open-carrying. My wife = "W" Neighbor = "M" Other lady = "S" S - "Do you see that! That man is carrying a gun! He can't do that!" W - "Yes, he can. It's perfectly legal." N - "Yeah. It's just fine if he has a permit." S - "But he has kids!" N - "Good. He is protecting them." S - "But, he shouldn't be able to do that! Doesn't the store..." W - "Any business can 'post' a sign that keeps out the good guys..." N - "Of course, the bad guys never obey signs..." S - "But... but..." W - "You should get your carry permit, like N and I have." (pat...

This past weekend, Ronda Rousey defended her UFC Womens' Bantamweight championship over Sara McMann. The entire bout lasted 66 seconds. Rousey did not win with her typical juji gatame finish. Rousey nailed McMann with a knee to the liver area, flooring McMann. Many people do not understand what a vulnerable target the liver is, but MMA legend Bas Ruten has advocated liver strikes for years. Bas used them regularly and to great success. Here is a good breakdown of the fight highlights on Art of Grappling . .

Having issues with asthma? Ancestral diet might just be the solution, according to this article . .

Depending on which polls you read, anywhere from half to most of protestant Christians believe in "Old Earth Creationism." A vast majority of Catholics believe in OEC. Most polls point to only 10-15% of the population atheistic. So any way you slice it, only a very few people are on the extreme ends as were Bill Nye and Ken Ham in the debate a few weeks ago. .

I've made several posts about real self defense compared to what some people think might work. When one of the participants is trained in jiu-jitsu, the fight sequence actually becomes repetitive... almost to the point of being boring. Here is how it usually takes place: Standing The jiu-jitsu fighter maintains distance, and closes the distance when the time is right. The other fighter often tries unsuccessfully to punch or kick. The jiu-jitsu fighter executes a takedown - usually a leg trip ( kosoto gari ) and often lands on top in a dominant position. Alternately, the fight goes to the ground in a different manner (sometimes, the jiu-jitsu fighter will pull guard) and the jiu-jitsu fighter is on his back, and uses the guard to stay safe from punches. Rarely, the jiu-jitsu fighter will get caught in a guillotine attempt - one of the most common, basic, and instinctive holds an untrained person will try.  Ground Stage 1 - positioning Typically, the jiu-jitsu fighter is ...

I recently came across some previously unreleased challenge fights from the Gracie Academy. Here is the Youtube video: As I've stated before, it is technically possible for an untrained person to beat a person trained in jiu-jitsu... it's just very, very unlikely. Each of these matches bears that fact out. .

A few days ago - 2/4/2014 - I was witness to the "Creation vs. Evolution" debate that was sponsored by Answers in Genesis and televised via debatelive.org . The debaters were Ken Ham of Answers in Genesis and Bill Nye of TV fame. The choice of debaters might seem somewhat puzzling on the outside - neither man holds a PhD, and neither is considered a top scientist of their respective fields. However, the choice was obvious for other reasons. Ham and Nye both have earned a living in the public eye with their scientific endeavors. Ham is the founder of the Creation Museum, as well as Answers in Genesis (AiG). Bill Nye was an airplane engineer by trade who went on to make his money doing fun science-related things on a TV program geared to get kids excited about science. You could say their respective scientific merits fall within the realm of capitalism as opposed to research. I follow AiG, and I also try to keep abreast of scientific discoveries and trends. I observed a g...

John 14:6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Does this invalidate the Covenant God made with the Jews? What about the provisions within Judaism for the Noahide code (salvation for righteous Gentiles)?  In Short: not at all.   Here is how we get there... What is so special about Christ? There are two major schools of thought: the mainline thoughts fall under the umbrella concept that Christ's death satisfied God's demand for punishment of sin for those who believe in Him. The alternative view does not necessarily diminish Jesus' Lordship, but simply falls more in line with the modern Jewish thought that atonement is not necessary in light of Faith, repentance, and Godly works.  I will not go into more, as there are several major schools of thought within each umbrella. Suffice it to say, at the base, we all agree to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.  Why belief in Jesus Christ does not contra...

In the past, I might have had a blog post about Delta Airlines. Or Two . And there might even be more snide comments I've made in other posts about Delta, as well. Seems I am far from the only one on this. Was reading an article on America's least respected companies . Delta was ranked the very worst. Even below tobacco companies! .

Etiquette - the art of knowing how to behave. At a martial arts seminar featuring multiple martial arts, it is a valid question. Different arts have different customs, and when visiting another person's studio, it might be difficult to find out how they do things. Having planned seminars like this, taught in them, studied in them, and been around a lot more than most, let me share some insight: Uniform / Belt Wear your typical uniform and belt. If you practice more than one martial art, wear the uniform / belt of one particular art. No need to put on a white belt, or do anything silly. If you have access to multiple uniforms, a white uniform typically is best. If you are a black belt, have a plain black belt to wear. Don't get caught up in the "keeping up with the Jones'es" act of trying to wear your most outlandish belt or uniform just to show off. Line Up / Come to order Observe for a second how the members of the home studio are lining up, and fal...

There's no question that America has been the breeding ground of ill health in the last few decades. The US leads the world in obesity, diabetes, heart attack, stroke, cancer, as well as more "minor" issues such as psychological disorders, ADD, ADHD, and many more. "If diet is wrong, then medicine is of no use. If diet is right, then medicine is of no need." - Ancient Ayurvedic Proverb How many times have you heard someone say "I try to diet, but it just doesn't work!" Or "I exercise a lot, but it doesn't help much!" I think these statements are often true, and largely correct! In 2011, I was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes - at age 36. My father was diagnosed at a similar age. My mother diagnosed a couple of decades later. My mother died from a heart attack brought on by complications from uncontrolled diabetes. My father has lost one foot and half of the other, as well as an eye to the effects of diabetes. To say I had a do...

There are many reasons to have camouflage clothing. From the point of view of the American Rifleman, there exists the possibility that being called on to defend the US might require violence. Should the American Rifleman find need of violence, then it is wise to prepare to defend against same. One way of preventing the opponent's violence is to stay hidden. Should the American Rifleman find himself in violent times, staying concealed is of the utmost importance. There are many options available, and the majority are extremely effective in their intended use. The author's choices of camouflage are: 1. Urban / Suburban.  This consists of jeans / khakis, plain shirts, unremarkable shoes or hiking boots, and generally ordinary attire. The idea here is that concealment is to be had by looking ordinary. Colors should primarily be browns, greys, blues, and black. Common styles and accessories are ideal. 2. Outdoors The author selects the traditional "woodland camouflage...

In preparing for the theme of not majoring in the minors - also known as being loud where God is loud, and being silent where God is silent - we must first define what God expects of us. This is actually very easy, and does not involve hundreds of laws. Just three categories: Greatest Commandment 1. Love God. 2. Love others as yourself. (Matthew 22: 36 - 40 - Leviticus 19:18 - Deuteronomy 6:5) Ten Commandments 1. Have no other gods before God. 2. Do not make any graven images. 3. Do not take the Lord's name in vain (blasphemy). 4. Remember the Sabbath Day. 5. Honor your parents. 6. Do not murder. 7. Do not commit adultery. 8. Do not steal. 9. Do not give false testimony. 10. Do not covet. (Exodus 20:1-17 - Deuteronomy 5:4-21) Noahide Laws 1. Acknowledge there is only one God and believe in Him. / Prohibition on idolatry. 2. Prohibition of blasphemy. 3. Prohibition of murder. 4. Prohibition of theft. 5. Prohibition of sexual immorality (adultery, incest, rape...

From a reader: Hi, I’ve read a lot of your blog. Good stuff. Was wondering, would you consider your theology with regards to dispensational Salvation? Hello, and thank you for reading. Also, thank you for an excellent question! I would consider my viewpoints to be very closely aligned with "Dual Covenant Theology," when it comes to salvation. That said, I would not fault any who held to Dispensational views, nor "Progressive Dispensational" views - I do not agree with them, but I understand their point of view. I do not at all care for those with Covenant Theology or Suppersessionism views... they simply are not Biblical. To be clear in this answer, I am not referring to viewpoints on the rapture, or other end-times events. These are simply my opinions of Biblical interpretation of salvation with regards to God's covenants. I think all Covenants He has made are for yesterday, today, and forever.  .

The other day, I found the article: Six Harsh Truths That Will Make You A Better Person . Every last point is right. Every. Single. One. 6. The world only cares about what it can get from you. ( I brought in $10M in revenue to my company last year. What did you do? ) 5. The hippies were wrong. ( I am happy because I do a good job .) 4. What you produce does not have to make money, but it does have to benefit people. ( Martial Arts. Sales. I make money, make money for people, and empower people. You? ) 3. You hate yourself because you don't do anything.  ( It's true, people who loaf around are the ones most likely to wind up on depression meds. ) 2. What you are inside only matters because of what it makes you do. ( Jesus kept on emphasizing good works, "a tree will be known by its fruits," etc .) 1. Everything inside you will fight improvement. ( This is why the successful are so often "hated." ) Or you can be like this guy , and...

So I was reading a blog post some time ago, and the author had a very intriguing series of questions. The premise was that he had been asked by another party to write an article on basic arms, equipment, and training for a standing militia - " militia " as originally described by the US Constitution: Every able-bodied man between the ages of 17 - 45.  Even today, that definition is applicable to what was redefined in The Militia Act of 1903 as the "reserve militia." However, this post is not designed to discuss the definition of the militia, or even to suggest whether we need one (we do, as it is fundamental to the defending of human rights). I won't even argue the merits of women serving in militia capacities, should they so choose (they should). What interested me were the questions the blog author asked of himself, and on which he requested input from readers: What arms should be considered acceptable for militia use? Considering that the M4/M/16...

My daughter (age 6) is in Daisy Scouts (formerly Brownies), the youngest division of Girl Scouts. It is the time of year to sell Girl Scout cookies. She approached the father of her brother's friend for her first sale (no training, no advice from anybody, yet): "Mr. Rxxx, which Girl Scout cookies would you like to buy today?" As a person who has had much success in sales, I spotted the "Assumptive Close" immediately, and was impressed to see it used by a Kindergartener. PS - he bought two boxes, despite having prior "orders" from his wife not to buy any! .

Last night, I watched the NFL's decision to award Seattle the championship over Denver. "What?!?!?! The NFL is not fixed!!!" you yell? Please tell me you still don't believe in that. It was a shock to me to learn at age 10 that wrestling was not real. That's OK, I still enjoy seeing it. To be fair, it is more enjoyable than any other professional fixed league (NBA, NFL, etc.) My brother an I figured out the fix on the NBA back in the 1990's. We could predict game outcomes, and scores to within +/-2.5 points. At that time, we conceded that the NBA was completely, if not largely, fixed with regard to outcome. I have railed on this hard with the NFL in the last few years. So let me give you just a sampling of logic to ponder: This year, the highest scoring team ever in NFL history was crowned - the Denver Broncos. Yet, they somehow not only lose the championship, but only score a single touchdown in the process (71 offensive touchdowns over the season - th...

"We should be loud where God is loud, and quiet where God is quiet." - Pastor of my church. Thus starts a series on this blog. We will discuss the most common topics found in the Bible. As a preview - here are the most common themes: Faith in God - the most common positive command. Love (for fellow man) - the second most common positive command. Money - the third most common topic in the Bible. Also, we will talk about the most mentioned sins: Idolatry - the most commonly named sin. Self-righteousness Murder Adultery Theft Greed / Covetousness False testimony Hatred .