1st - 12 points.
2nd -- 9.
3rd -- 6.
4th -- 5.
5th -- 4.
6th -- 3.
7th -- 2.
8th -- 1.
9th or 10th -- 0.
I participated in both ping pong and ultimate frisbee. I had a terrible cold the whole weekend and, as was everyone else, had to adjust to the high altitude. We ended up taking 1st place in ultimate frisbee against really tough competition. Every team was made of big, buff football player types. One teammate commented to me that every time he looked over, "i was getting pummeled into the ground." His statement was accurate although I didn't sustain any long term injuries from my collisions. I did attain glory forever by being part of a team of underachievers who battled and played their guts out to beat some great teams.
Game 1: 7-2 (6 minutes to get to 7 points)
Game 2: 7-6 (30 minutes to get to 7 points -- after being down 5-3 after 20 minutes)
Game 3: 7-5 (30 minutes with our only sub cramping up at the 25 minute mark)
It was such an honor because we knew we were good, but on paper we didn't stack up at all. After one of my collisions that literally knocked the snot out of my nose, I laid on the ground after I stopped rolling. The opposing teammate that collided with me was apparently ok because he sarcastically told me to 'get up' -- I wondered if he noticed the temporary bruise I left on his bicep.
We just kept making crisp passes and playing a fundamental game. The guys fought really hard and brought some pride back to the Wallace tribe that also managed to place 2nd in an event called 'Amazing Race'. But the most uplifting time came later that Saturday night during some small group discussion time.
David Arcos challenged us to live lives where we give as much to every day activities as we gave to the games we played that day. He said those words, and i literally thought to myself, "I'd die if I gave that much on a constant basis." I tried to dismiss his notion. We broke up into small groups and David and I ended up in the same group. A thought came to mind during this moment of transition -- I think it was from God: Those who seek to keep their life will lose it. Those who seek to give their lives will find it. That's close to being a direct scripture quote -- and I've never memorized that before -- but somehow it was suddenly in my head. I shared it with David and he agreed it was a related thought. I kinda thought about it more as we started our discussion.
I know that there are so many things I don't give my all to -- well, I haven't given my all to much at all recently -- maybe the frisbee game came close to getting most of my all. What would it look like if I put all my energy toward the documentary I'm working on? What would it look like if I gave my all to whatever I was doing at the time? I bet it would look a lot different than it does now and I bet I'd feel a lot better about what I was doing. As with the frisbee team, I was glad we won b/c we were rewarded for our effort. but I would have been just as glad to be on that team had we lost. I gave a lot and so did the other guys -- we honored each other.
David asked me why I moved to Los Angeles. I told him the long and incredible story of how I started in Istanbul, Turkey drove thru Utah and ended up in a free house for 5 months. I told him I wanted to be an editor. I told him that I felt there was something for me in Los Angeles that I couldn't get anywhere else in the world -- perhaps it was the film industry, but I was also open to it being a relational type thing were I'll get to have an impact on some one's life here -- an impact that is going to set off lots of other impacts. (I also added in the whole relational thing because I was talking to a church worker (David) and a church volunteer (Adam), so I didn't want to sound, you know, too centered on myself or anything. In truth, I'm not more focused on one or the other... but I wanted to cover my trails).
David said, "If you're going to be an editor, you have to be great. You'll be in positions that nobody else will be able to be in -- you'll be the only reflection of God in that place. Be a great editor, Collin." I liked how he tied in the relational and the work aspect of it. I was motivated to be great. Then he added some more.
"I was reading Matthew the other day and I came to a point that kind of jarred me. I was literally getting ready to feed my baby when I read this and just paused in thought.
Matthew 11:12 -- "From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force." I was thinking to myself, 'What is a violent man in this context?' And this whole time my baby is in the high chair crying because I'm not feeding him. I go back into thought... 'What is it to violently take the kingdom of heaven by force?' I look up, and my son is pounding his fists on the high chair, screaming, kicking, crying for food. He was to the point of violence -- so eager in anticipation of being fed. The men who tap into the kingdom of heaven do so in violent anticipation of joining with God in his mission. Be a great and violent man in anticipation of joining God's mission."
This really stuck with me. In looking up the verse in a different translation, it reads like this:
NIV
From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.
Amplified
And from the days of John the Baptist until the present time, the kingdom of heaven has endured violent assault, and violent men seize it by force [as a precious prize--a share in the heavenly kingdom is sought with most ardent zeal and intense exertion].
I think of it this way: Be forceful in seeking to join God's great mission on earth -- (which is) Jesus came not to condemn, but that the world might be saved (John 3:17).
Thank you, Highlander. Thank you David Arcos. Thank you God for sharing with me.
-C
