Ninja Gentlemen

Brand New Spiffy Website

2009-07-24T00:20:00.002-04:00

Ah-hah! We've moved!
New Website Here:
ninjagentlemen.com

Mission Five -- A Change of Scenery

2009-07-14T21:28:00.004-04:00

Here is a sample of the missions you will encounter on the Shadow Gentleman's Road...

SKILLS REQUIRED
Being-A-Ninja Skills: Subliminal Message
Being-Nice-To-Girls Skills: Giving Time

Sir,

TIME is a gift from our patient God. You should be patient too, and appreciate time. It is a necessary ingredient in the changing, growing, and healing of a human being -- and now you are going to learn to use it.

Did you talk to your sister as instructed in the previous mission? Hopefully you gained some insight into her mental landscape and discovered where she most dearly needs defenders. Now your first instinct might be to sit her down and tell her where she's misunderstanding the truth...but that's not how we do.

Remember that you are still trying to remain invisible. Remember also that you are working to nurture a deep peace in your sister's heart -- a peace that will not be shaken by the next lie (or hundred lies) that rise up. So instead of attacking the issue itself, start quietly introducing truth into her life. Do not call attention to it or to yourself! The truth will make itself known if you place it somewhere visible.

An example will help: Suppose your sister is deceived into thinking that abortion, in general, is not terrible. And suppose that modern dogmas of Tolerance and Choice and Convenience have blunted her discernment so that you cannot reason her back to rightness. How should you protect her mind?

Firstly by praying that she will grow in the Spiritual wisdom we discussed earlier. And secondly, by changing scenery! Be the person who speaks sincerely about the blessing of children. Openly admire those parents who raise kids in difficult circumstances. Praise God (out loud!) for the idea of family. Make quiet observations about how precious is this or that person, especially children. Abortion thrives in selfishness -- so you be the person who upholds sacrificial generosity.

These should be SUBLIMINAL MESSAGES. In the example above, don't be obviously referring back to abortion (actually, all of the blessings of children and family are plenty good enough to talk about *without* an ulterior motive). Exposing lies is a separate challenge, but your goal for now should be to bolster your sister's defenses -- her knowledge and love of truth -- so that lies once exposed cannot survive. Think of ways to improve her mental backdrop, and start immediately!

Changing the scenery is great because anyone can do it. It does not take a genius to talk about what is good and true. It just takes a brother who isn't embarrassed, and who is willing to be patient. That's the other thing. You cannot tell how long it will take for truth to bloom. Plant the seeds, and water them faithfully...but trust God to make them grow. Give it time.

Sincerely,

~you stake out the empty space, thinking the signature cannot hide forever~

Affirm -- Lesson 1. Her Story

2009-07-14T21:20:00.004-04:00

Please enjoy this hand-picked sample chapter!

"the only reason to make a fuss over a bad man is because he is not good....you cannot say if a shot hit or missed, until you know what the target was."
-- Jakeb Brasee's "High Definition"
(I sound so much more reputable in quotes)

This is the story of your sister-in-Christ...

Before the creation of the world, God invented her and thought she was a wonderful idea -- good enough to create, good enough to die for and adopt.

He designed her perfectly, saw everything that she would become, and decided to make her. So He drew up the blueprints and said "This is what she is."

Then at the right time, He went to work, knitting her together and creating a brand new person -- fearfully, wonderfully unique. Able to praise Him like no other.

But His work was ruined immediately, not by any mistake of His, but because your sister's sinful parents were involved in her creation. She inherited their wicked ways. Sin took hold right away and broke God's beautiful work.

Or had it? He still had the blueprints -- and if you look at them closely you'll see that the original design included a great rescue mission! The cross of Christ was in God's mind all along. He knew this would happen when He made your sister. He knew that she would become something even greater than a perfect creature. She was to be a redeemed creature.

And so she was redeemed, as God intended. She freely trusted in Jesus Christ, who forgave her and saved her. The Father accepted her. The Spirit moved in and started transforming her.

She is no longer who she once was -- no longer a spiritual rebel, no longer an enemy of God. She is not a slave to sin. She is no longer hopelessly depraved. She is an unfinished work, but she is absolutely lovely. She is God's masterpiece, and He can always point to her as an example of His great mercy and generous lovingkindness.

Those blueprints define her, now. God sees what she is going to be -- the masterpiece is complete in His mind's eye. He looks at her through the lens of Jesus Christ and sees her as pure and spotless, white as snow. Darkness is not part of her definition, it is only the thing that obscures her definition.

So if you want to know, "My sister, who is she, really?"...then go back to those blueprints. Ask God for a glimpse of them. Maybe He will let you see them too, let you understand what a dazzling, precious and astounding thing He did on the day He made her. Maybe you will see a vision of the finished product, in all her righteousness and purity of spirit. At the very least, you will see that she is becoming such.

And so I plead with you, as I would plead with our sister herself -- study her story and learn it very well. Every time you think of her, know that she is God's daughter, the product of His creativity and power and wonderful love. Know that she is made in His image and reflects His glory and houses His Spirit.

When you really know her story, and when you are able to tell it back to her by the way you love her -- well then, you are affirmative.

Sample Chapters coming soon...

2009-07-14T01:56:00.003-04:00

If it wasn't 2:00 a.m. in the morning I'd post them now, but I will firstly sleep, and try to do it tomorra. I am mostly writing this to remind myself to do it, hah!

Amazon Finally Gets Wise

2009-06-12T12:58:00.004-04:00

Now you can buy the book at Amazon also (which means the book is readily available enough that I can stop giving you updates on its availability). But you may still be better off buying it directly and receiving a genuine autograph of debatable value.

Barnes and Noble wins the NINJA REFLEXES award!

2009-06-11T10:07:00.004-04:00

Well! It seems that Finishing Last is now available for purchase at BarnesAndNoble.com

quite suddenly! How very unexpected and delightful. I will hopefully have a website where you can buy this thing directly from me (thereby Sticking It To The Man and gaining a free autograph at the same time) -- but until then, BarnesAndNoble can supply all of your Shadow Gentleman needs!

(if you buy it and like it and think other brothers-in-Christ should read it, you're encouraged to review it of course ;)

The Art and Science of Finishing Last

2009-06-08T23:15:00.012-04:00

Ah-hah! We've moved!
New Website Here:
ninjagentlemen.com

What's all this hullabaloo about, anyways? Here's the Official Description of everyone's favorite book on being a good brother-in-Christ and a master of Shadowy, Gentlemanly ways...

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For every believing brother who knows that his sisters-in-Christ are utterly priceless -- and who also knows, in his heart of hearts, that he should have been a ninja...THE ART AND SCIENCE OF FINISHING LAST exists for these.

Based on Biblical principles of brotherly love, this book teaches the deadly art of being nice to girls -- of serving, protecting, affirming and leading like a Christian brother ought to do, without being creepy and without getting glory for himself. It is a dangerous occupation, and you cannot be in it for yourself, but the daughters of God deserve no less.

Snippets of wisdom for the aspiring Shadow Gentleman:

"We want our sisters to know that it is only natural that we should serve them. It is Christ-natural -- in accordance with the nature of Christ. *In Christ and by His nature*, they are beautiful sisters who naturally deserve our brotherly love. Does this sound nonchalant to you? Or does it sound bright-eyed and boldly persuaded?"
--- Serve, Lesson 9

"You have heard of 'hiding in plain sight'? It sounds like rubbish, but it can work. People often accept what they see, without question -- so do not give them a reason to question you. Make yourself at home. Act like you belong and most people will suppose that you do."
--- Tips for Furtivity

"A ninja is a finely tuned instrument of imminent doom. He is the first-chair violin in a symphony of destruction. Body, mind, and spirit -- unified and sharpened to a razor edge for one deadly destiny. Everybody knows that."
--- Protect, Lesson 7

"...you need to openly praise true beauty. Do not just be thankful for her modesty, THANK her for her modesty! Do not just admire her devotion, COMMEND it! Is her joy remarkable? REMARK upon it!...Express this to her face and behind her back, both."
--- Affirm, Mission Ten

Musings

2009-06-08T19:21:00.001-04:00

Can't have a blog without the word "Musings" so here it is!

Wherever Fine Books are Sold

2009-06-08T17:50:00.002-04:00

YAY! "The Art and Science of Finishing Last" is finally fully finished, after what, 10 months of Serious Effort? Maybe longer? The years, they blend together...

So I am basically delighted, and praying vehemently that God will use this book to help make the Christian brotherhood something that our sisters can rely on.

There should be an Amazon page up for the book soon. If you really want a copy before then, contact me and we will work something out. =)

Finishing Last -- Update

2009-06-02T12:36:00.004-04:00

Hello internet! I thought I would let you know that I have sent in my book for final approval before being printed. It should be available very soon, but remember -- you are under no obligation to Buy BUY BUY!!!

Funny thing...I have been so busy writing about how to be a good brother, I might've neglected to BE one in recent days. God give me the time and willingness to be a practitioner and not just a theoretician.

Workin' in the Book Mines

2009-05-24T23:12:00.004-04:00

So I have not posted recently BECAUSE!!! I have been finishing the final proofreading and such for this hyar book of mine, which is an instructional manual for the aspiring Shadow Gentleman and Good Brother-in-Christ!

It should be in print fairly soon (to be very exact!) and then you will hear LOTS OF THINGS ABOUT IT! Goodnight, gentlemen.

The Highly Official Duties of a Christian Brother

2009-05-06T22:50:00.002-04:00

HELLO GENTLEMEN! If you are like me, and God has placed a burden on your heart to be an actual brotherly blessing, you might wonder what a brother-in-Christ is supposed to actually DO. How is he different from a plain old friend? I expect to spend a goodly part of my life answering that question, but here is what I think are the broad categories of brotherly duties.

SERVE your sisters
- jumping to meet their practical needs
PROTECT your sisters
- body, mind, and spirit
AFFIRM your sisters
- which means declaring the truth about how precious they are to you and to God
LEAD your sisters
- setting a tone of holiness and helping them become who they were born to be

Naturally, each of these is a gigantic topic. But the broad list has helped me understand what God expects from me in my brother-sister type relationships.

The Grand Adventure of Being a Ninja Gentleman

2009-05-06T20:23:00.002-04:00

Lest anyone should accuse me of bringing Ninjas into the mix to satisfy my own whimsy, let me explain! Being a brother-in-Christ is a great privilege and responsibility...but also a tricky business. You need to be considerate and self-sacrificing, avoid suspicion, and give God the glory.

Now Jesus was the original ninja gentleman, telling us that when we make offerings, our right hand should not know what our left hand is doing. That's like having little ninjas on the ends of your arms. If you give offerings (or if you serve your sisters) in order to be admired and praised...welp, you've got your whole reward right there, everything you ever wanted. =\

We extend this idea. We are not in the brotherhood to get glory -- but God should get glory! So instead of trying to build a reputation for ourselves, we work on fading into the background and making HIM famous in the way we love our sisters. It is also a good way to curb our ambition -- a nice overreaction to our prideful desire for fame and acclaim.

Furthermore, ninjas creep around to avoid being creepers!

A lot of women aren't used to having men acting brotherly toward them. "Brotherliness" is not a new concept, but it has always been an uncommon one. Usually, we relate to a woman Romantically (or potentially so), or as Buddies, or else we avoid her entirely...but recognizing her God-given pricelessness and femininity, and treating her like a spiritual sibling? That's something else entirely!

A sincere brother is kind of a weird sight to see, and a lot of people are suspicious of him. Some Christian advisers even discourage guys and girls from being close friends at all (which makes sense if you don't factor in the Family relationship).

Maybe the suspicion towards nice guys is misplaced, but a lot of women feel it. If we can save them the trouble by becoming Invisible Ninjas of Christian Love, that's a bonus! Let's get our reward from God instead of our sisters' pretty smiles (which are another bonus).

Apart from suspicion, we also want to keep people from reflecting our niceness back upon us! For example, some girls have a really hard time accepting compliments (which is really sad!). If you try to build her up directly, she might think, "Awww, that's so nice of him to say! He's a wonderful brother"...but without actually taking a word of it to heart. I would rather build up my sister than build up her opinion of me! So I practice giving my sisters affirmation in sneaky ways that they can't reject outright. I should like my sister to be vaguely but undeniably sure that she is treasured!

(There is also a time to end the sneaking...the best ninja know when to jump out and say BOO!!!...so the best Shadow Gentlemen know when to jump out and say "You are my sister and I really care about you with Christ's love!")

Actually...you have found me out. I just have a deep desire to Be a Ninja, and to Be Nice to Girls. This is my desperate attempt to combine the two into a powerful combination!

The Terrible Importance of Being a Brother-in-Christ

2009-05-06T19:53:00.001-04:00

So this World Wide Web Log is about what it means to be a brother-in-Christ, so I had better tell you why that's important.

Most importantly, because God says it is! 1 Timothy 5:2 tells us to treat the younger women "as sisters, with all purity." In context, it applies to how pastors should appeal to people instead of just rebuking them. But I think the idea goes beyond this. F'r instance, Jesus says that whoever does the will of His Father in Heaven is His brother and His sister and His mother. God is our Father, and we are siblings of Christ -- certainly we are siblings of each other. (Though we often forget, especially when it comes to Guys and Girls).

I should just quote my book at you, since I've written about it before. I wrote this about 1 Timothy 5:2, and why it is terribly important to be a godly brother:

It seems like very good advice to me, so I recommend it to all men in their friendships with women, not just to pastors in their ministry. There may be a better idea, but has anyone ever thought of it? Is there any alternative relationship that is safer, more encouraging, more honorable, more permanently good? I cannot think of one, so I will continue to speak of your Christian female friends as your sisters.

Along these same lines, it has been my experience that girls have a great need for good brothers. A young woman is beset on all sides by powerful and discouraging forces. Every day, the world challenges her to prove her worth -- acceptance based on performance or appearance. Criticism comes quickly, while approval comes grudgingly and with ulterior motives. From within, she is assaulted by emotions, fears, yearnings, and sins. Satan's legions (if you will take the spiritual battlefield seriously) are eager to trap her or destroy her. And always she must beware of evil men. These are the *minimal* trials of her life. She cannot expect it to get much better than this, and she can expect it to get much worse (through specific difficulties, like illness or an unloving family or any string of peculiar hardships).

It is easy for her to doubt her value. It is also easy for her to feel alone, threatened, or hopeless. It is easy to be confused. Now, women are not helpless or friendless, and God's mercies are new every morning. I am not trying to paint a picture of despair -- I am only saying the trouble is very real. We are blessed people in a cursed world.

Those are her troubles. You must also be reminded of her value. There is, and will only ever be, precisely one of her. She was made to be exactly herself (and may fully become that, some day, as God is still working on her). Most importantly, she is worth no less than the death of God, because that is the current bid for her soul. I could never have time enough or words enough to really describe the miracle that is a woman of God. She is intrinsically beautiful and you should honor her because she is a lady. There are no exceptions to this rule -- in difficult cases, you must simply be a better gentleman.

(In case your head is full of stuffing, I feel compelled to point out that honoring a lady does not mean indulging her. If she is being stupid, honor may very well require that you not humor her).

-- from "The Art and Science of Finishing Last", by lil' ol' me