Street Smarts from Christian Martial Arts, 40 Life Lessons from a Karate Master, is a compilation of Master Brown's wisdom from both teaching karate and working in Christian ministry. These life lessons convey a holistic (mind, body, spirit) approach to healthy living.
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The Christian life lessons in this book teach on the greatest commandment, balance, life choices, relationships, prioritizing, being adaptable, focusing, succeeding, positive attitude, competition, submission, authority, quality, communication, listening, good manners, responsibility, perception, learning, perspective, teaching, goal-setting, accomplishing your goals, group dynamics, effort, conflict-resolution, hope, fruit of the Spirit, setting a good example, giving, fasting, paradigms, testing, being the real you, seeing the best in people, respect, discipline, teamwork, setting boundaries, self-love, taking initiative, persevering, talent, skill, bullies, parenting, growing up, making excuses, not giving up, problem solving, confrontation, strengths, benefits of pain, health, safety, and excellence.
About the Author
J. Brown, sixth degree black belt, started his martial arts training in the late 1970’s. He began teaching for Tae Bo® founder, Billy Blanks as senior instructor of two locations of the Billy Blanks Karate Academy before launching nine of his own schools in the early 1990’s. He has won various awards in local, national, and international tournaments. Brown has been a Christian all of his life and is currently making the pastoral ministry his full time vocation. It is his desire for everyone to know that the Christian faith and the martial arts can go hand-in-hand.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Street Smarts is a great blend,
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This review is from: Street Smarts from Christian Martial Arts (Paperback)
J Brown's new book "Street Smarts from Christian Martial Arts" is a wonderful blending of Martial Arts and principals for Christian living. Taking experiences from his many years of Martial arts training he combines them with Bible verses and philosophy to produce Christian lessons useful in everyday life. Furthermore he does it in everyday language so you don't have to be a Theologian or an expert in philosophy to understand and use these lessons in your own life. Master Brown proves that the Martial arts and the Christian life style not only go together, but also complement each other.
This book is an excellent addition to anyone's library whether they are a marital arts student or instructor, or Christian student or instructor. Everyone will get something helpful out of it. I will be using his book as an aid to my personal devotions, teaching my Karate class and teaching Royal Rangers. Paul Woodman, Second Degree Black belt Goshin-Do Karate, Assembly of God Royal Ranger Commander and Author of Warrior for the Lord [...]
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Mind, Body, and Soul,
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This review is from: Street Smarts from Christian Martial Arts (Paperback)
Master Brown does a great job of emphasizing the need for a balance between mind, body, and soul. To do this, he uses concrete illustrations from martial arts to make his points. I found the book to be educational as well as something I could use as a devotional thought for the day. I recommend Street Smarts from Christian Martial Arts to anyone seeking a unique perspective on the Christian life.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A masterfully written book by Master J. Brown,
This review is from: Street Smarts from Christian Martial Arts (Paperback)
In his book Street Smarts from Christian Martial Arts: 40 Life Lessons from a Karate Master, J. Brown positively and significantly contributes to a trend which finds much common ground between martial arts and Christianity. As a seminary student about to be ordained as a Lutheran pastor, Brown presents a wealth of Scriptural teaching for enrichment and guidance. As a martial arts master with much life experience, Brown's insights benefit the reader in the study of martial arts as well as wisdom for life in general.
In the initial chapters, Brown introduces his holistic and balanced approach to humanity which resounds throughout the book. Since a person consists of body, mind, and spirit, each of these must receive nourishment and training. The body he defines as the physical portion of a human, the mind as the non-material side of humanity which "thinks, feels, wishes, and chooses," the spirit as the non-material side which relates to God and demonstrates a moral nature in relation to other people. While asserting balance among these three sides of humanity, Brown emphasizes the spirit as the most vital. Having been redeemed by Christ on the cross and baptized into His name, one's identity comes from the gift of new life in Christ. The body and mind complement the pursuit of this balance. The book then proceeds with forty brief chapters, each encapsulated by a one-sentence "life lesson" to introduce the chapter's theme. Each chapter elaborates upon its theme with this balance as a parameter. By thus integrating the physical and spiritual, Brown nicely avoids a Gnostic tendency apparent in so many books on spirituality today. Although the themes of his chapters vary greatly, a common thread is the thoughtful, winsome manner in which Brown shares wisdom from scripture, martial arts instruction, and his life experience. For example, chapter seven has the title "Submission and Authority" followed by the encapsulating life lesson: "Submission and authority go hand in hand, working together to sift the sand." Brown begins by explaining the ranking system in martial arts and its significance. He emphasizes submission to authority as a key for learning a martial art. Then he describes how many relationships (children, spouses, teachers, employees, etc.) rely upon acknowledgement of authority. Being aware of God's authority and His perfect will, Brown tells how one is led to confess one's sinfulness. Thereupon, one receives the gift of absolution or forgiveness by Christ's sacrifice on the cross. For an additional example, chapter eighteen is entitled: "Thank you." The life lesson immediately under the title reads: "There's nothing more beautiful in life than the presence and joy of a thankful optimist." Brown tells how he has had the honor of teaching martial arts to students with various handicaps. From working with such special students, he learned that one can overcome many challenges and that thankfulness helps focus upon the most important things of life. He then relates the touching story of his mother's courage in the face of a debilitating illness. Through such experiences, Brown has come to appreciate many life blessings, particularly his blessings in Christ. The chapter then includes a multiplicity of Bible passages about thankfulness and their meaning. While Brown clearly proclaims Christ's gift of salvation, the book more so concerns wisdom for the sanctified life which flows from that gift. Thus, the Christian content of this book most closely resembles the book of Proverbs. Life often requires a practical wisdom of skillfully avoiding pitfalls and exercising sound judgment in various situations. Such wisdom emphasizes personal character. Above all, wisdom is an attribute of God most clearly revealed in Christ the Savior. Brown skillfully emulates this scriptural approach from wisdom literature. Brown's book provides interesting reading and benefit for a variety of audiences. While a Christian student or instructor of martial arts can most fully relate to the book's contents, any reader be enriched by the book's emphasis on wise, practical living as well as Brown's interesting, touching, and humorous biographical notes. Brown's presentation of Law and Gospel can even serve a mission purpose to reach someone without Christ. As a professor of religion and martial arts instructor myself, I highly recommend this book for anyone's reading pleasure.
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